Broken Down And Built Back Up
by emeralgreenlove
Summary: Kim's older brother has been raping Kim for months now. Kim is sure he got her pregnant. She has had enough of his brutalities and calls her best friend for help. Some sexual reference. Kick.
1. Emergency

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter One: Emergency

KIM

He is a horrible person who does horrible things.

'He' is my brother, Aaron, and I wish he wouldn't have to be referred to as 'horrible,' but that's what his actions have reflected back on him.

I barely had enough strength to get up and make sure the front door was locked. I went upstairs to my room and took my phone from the drawer.

I went through my contacts and chose the one that said 'Jack.'

I took a blanket from my bed and draped it over my body (that was lying on the

floor) as I waited for Jack to pick up his phone.

"Hello?" his voice told me he was annoyed. He was also out of breath.

"Hi, Jack. It's Kim. Sorry if I interrupted something, but I need you to come to my house. Remember the key I gave you? Use it. Please hurry, I don't know if we have much time."

My voice cracked a few times and you could hear the hoarseness in it.

I hope Jack comes soon.

XxX

JACK

When I got inside of Kim's house, I instantly noticed it was a mess.

Some of the living room's furniture was upside down, some of it lay broken in the living room floor, and some of it was just pushed up against the walls.

Pieces of glass laid around the smell of liquor was strong.

There was a trail of clothes I followed to the kitchen, where an open jam jar and a half-done piece of bread were sitting on the counter. A shirt was also on the counter.

When I examined it closely, I noticed it was Kim's. How do I know this? First of all, the shirt is the color pink, a color Kim often wears. Second of all, it smells like her. It's a smell rather hard to describe, but incredibly good.

I exhaled her scent in deeply before I remembered Kim's call and the mess the state of the house was in.

It was also eerily silent.

I hadn't really noticed before, but the last articles of clothing was a girl's pair of underwear and a bra.

I couldn't help but think of things a boy should definetely not have about his best friend.

Emergency. Remember the emergency, Jack, I scolded myself.

I wonder what happened in here...

"Kim!" I shouted. "Kim, where are you? I'm here. It's me. Jack."

At first I didn't hear anything, but as I went along, I heard a soft voice say, "Room, Jack. In my room."

I got to Kim's room as fast as I could and knocked.

"O...pen," the voice said and coughed.

I gently pushed the door to Kim's room open and was met with the sight of a girl that could have passed as half-dead.

I know that girl. That girl is Kim. MY Kim.

"Kim," I said in shock.

My heart was speeding up and I felt adrenaline go through me.

I closed the door behind me and knelt down next to Kim. Her body was beaten up and bruised. She looked more ill than I've ever seen her.

Kim's eyes were half closed and she was shivering. She had a blanket over her body, but it was only covering her lady parts and it was way too thin to do anything to stop the cold. Even though outside was warm, inside her house, and especially her room, you felt like you were in a giant freezer.

I stared at her shocked for a moment, then moved closer to her head and placed it gently on my lap.

Kim moved her head and looked at me in the eye.

"Help," she croaked out and reached up a trembling hand to my face.

Her cold fingers traced an unknown pattern in my cheek. She looked away and dropped something on top of her chest (a paper), then closed her eyes.

I waited for her to come around, but the rising of her chest told me she was asleep.

I slowly reached out and quickly took the paper from her chest, not wanting to touch her in any indecent way.

I unfolded the paper and started reading it.

It said:

Jack,

If you're reading this it's because I need your help. Please take me away from all of this. I need you to, otherwise I'll be in grave danger.

There is a suitcase, a backpack and a guitar case in my closet that are ready to go. Take me anywhere you want. The dojo, your house, a hotel...you take your pick. There are also two notebooks on my shelf. Take them and put them in my guitar case. Please don't read anything and call a cab over. I know they are expensive, but in my nightstand there's money for you to use. It's in an envelope. It's emergency money and there's enough to go to a hotel for several nights, rent a cab and anything else that you need in order to get me out of here.

I trust you with my life, Jack. I know you'll do what's I'm asking you to.

I'll explain why you are doing this later. Just trust me for now.

-Kim.

P. S. If you hear anyone coming in, hide.

P. P. S. Do NOT notify anyone about this, especially the police.

I picked up Kim and wrapped the blanket tighter around her as I placed her in her bed.

I quickly did all the things she asked me to. I took out her bags from the closet, I put the notebooks where they needed to be, I put the emergency money in my pocket as well as Kim's cell phone and her charger (she'd go crazy without it).

The most difficult task was dressing up Kim. I couldn't go outside with her wearing nothing more than a simple blanket.

I opened her closet and drawer. I searched around until I found a pair of pink sweats and a matching long sleeve pink shirt. I closed my eyes and randomly picked out her under garments.

This was extremely awkward for me, but I managed to do the task of dressing my best friend up. As I did it, I kept glancing with guilt at Kim. What if she had woken up? That would have been really embarrassing.

I put Kim's bags downstairs by the door and came back for Kim.

I picked her up bridal style and went down the stairs of Kim's house praying that I wouldn't fall or trip.

When I got downstairs, I heard a car's honk and got a phone call.

After I made sure it was our cab that was outside, I put Kim's bags in the back and laid Kim's unconscious body in the back seat with her head in my lap.

I gave the driver directions to my house and we left Kim's house behind.

XxX

Finally we were home. Kim was still unconscious, but that was fine with me.

I was pretty puzzled why Kim was the way she was and I was curious as to what had happened to her house, but it was better if she got some rest.

I'd placed her beneath a couple layers of blankets in my bed and I'd watched her for a few minutes as she settled into my pillows. It was as if I'd given her something special. Even though she was asleep, I sensed she was happy and at peace, so I'd left her and gone downstairs.

Here I am now, writing a note to my family that informed them of Kim's situation. They would understand what had happened.

I found tape and stuck it to my bedroom door. Then, after I'd brought Kim's bags to my room, I settled in next to Kim and fell asleep.

XxX

A/N: That is the first chapter of my new story. I hope you liked it. Future chapters are guaranteed to be better (and probably longer).

This story was inspired by Family Ties and it's sequel by xmsemzx and Saving Kim by Kickin' Taylor. Those are three awesome stories here in the Kickin' It fandom that are SUPER awesome, so if I were you and you haven't read them yet, I would. I totally would.

My review goal is 15.

I, emeralgreenlove, hereby promise I will update in five to seven days after I post this or earlier if I receive 15 reviews by then; unless I have been harmed, have an extremely bad case of writer's block and/or encountering technical difficulties.

REVIEW!

XOXO,

emeralgreenlove.


	2. Kim's Ugly Truths

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Two: Kim's Ugly Truths

Last on Broken Down And Built Back Up:

…_After I'd brought Kim's bags to my room, I settled in next to Kim and fell asleep._

XxX

JACK

I woke up to find somebody shaking me awake. Sunlight rays streamed through the window and hit my face. I love the warmth of it on my face, but I hate how it gets on my eyes. It feels as if somebody's trying to burn them.

I sat up after squinting and realized that my mother had opened the shades and was sitting on the edge of my bed.

I stretched my arms as I yawned and hit something soft, which moved under my hand.

I glanced besides me to see a sleeping Kim. She had a disturbed look on her face.

I got up from my bed, stretching out even more in the way to her side of the bed and pulling the blankets up to Kim's chin.

"What is a _girl _doing here, Jack?" my mother whisper-yelled. "On your _bed_ nonetheless. Please tell me you didn't do anything reckless Jack," she pleaded.

It's funny how her voice sounded whispered, yelling and pleading all at the same time. It was an odd combination.

I looked at her with a confused look, one eyebrow arched as I decided to leave the shades opened as they were going to do Kim good.

"What are you going off about?" I asked, still disoriented. I went back to Kim's side and touched her forehead, checking to see if she had a temperature. "My friend here had a really bad night at her house so she asked me to bring her somewhere safe and I thought that I would bring her here fro a while, since if I went to the dojo in the condition she's in Rudy and the guys would probably freak out. Can we talk? Can we talk about this downstairs? condition she's in Rudy and the guys would probably freak out. Can we talk? Can we talk about this downstairs? I don't want to wake Kim from her slumber," I said and nodded at the girl that was barely visible through the covers and blankets—I didn't want her to freeze.

"You better be down in five to explain this," Mom said and left.

I looked back down at Kim, hesitant to be leaving her, then turned and closed the door softly behind me.

XxX

I explained everything to Mom and let her take in.

"So she was naked when you got there?" she asked.

I looked down, my cheeks flaming red.

"I checked on her and she was completely dressed, Jack. I'm a _mother; _I know what to do when you find a girl on your _son's_ bed."

"That's beside the point, Mom. I had to dress her up and man it was awkward. It's that what you wanted to here?"

"Yes, I like it when you're honest with me. Did she tell you if anybody raped her? Or beat her up?"

"She didn't tell me anything, she was unconscious-"

"We should probably call the police for her."

"No, she said specifically _not_ to tell anybody. She-"

A cell phone started ringing in my pockets. It was Kim's.

I took it out and saw 'Jack' on it.

I put a hand up and answered Kim.

"Yes, you're not in…you're in my room, Kim…calm down, I'll be there in a minute…"

I hung up and said, "I have to go check on Kim."

"'Kay, wake up Jaymee. I'm going to make breakfast."

I groaned.

Nothing better than waking up a six year old at nine in the morning on Sunday morning.

XxX

I walked to where I had last seen Kim and peered in, not sure that the person that was taking her place was really the strong girl I know.

"Kim, are you okay?" I asked quietly and she sat up quickly.

Her eyes where wide and her wild, tangled curls were sticking to her sweaty forehead and that's without even mentioning the look of fear in her eyes.

"Jack?" she said, her eyes were still wide with fear. Her tone was questioning, even though she could see me standing there.

"Yeah, it's me," I said softly. Just being around her like this made me want to be a little gentler.

"Can I ask you for something?" she asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, sure," I said placing my hands on my pockets awkwardly as well. "What do you need Kim?"

She looked away.

"Could you give me a hug?" she asked, raising her eyes to meet mine again. "Just one. Please, Jack."

I cracked a smile.

"Of course, I'll give you as many hugs as you want, Kim," I said and sat at the edge of the bed.

I hugged her and somehow, she started crying, hysterically sobbing in my arms. I held her tight and picked her up, placing her in my lap.

I brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead, which was what my mother did to calm down Jaymee.

"Kim, please tell me what's wrong," I pleaded.

She looked up at me with sad eyes and then looked down at her lap.

Her voice sounded broken, _she_ sounded broken.

"It all started one late afternoon, my parents weren't home because Dad lives a couple states away and Mom has been going away on business trips since Dad left her, which was about a year ago. Anyhow, my brother Aaron-Mitchell is my guardian and he used to be the greatest big brother you could ask for and so I was always comfortable being with him no matter if I had bikini on or a coat. It's just one of those things that you never even think about.

"One day I came from karate practice and it was really hot inside the house so I took my shirt off and headed to my room. On my way there I saw Aaron's door slightly open and I heard noises coming from inside and without thinking I went inside to find my brother touching himself.

"It was_ horrible_, Jack, _horrible_. From that day forward everything went spinning downwards and he stared getting drunk and touching _me_ instead of himself. I've been thinking of telling you for a long time but I was so _so_ scared."

She sobbed harder into my arms.

"It's okay, Kim, _you're_ going to be okay," I said after I could make out the words.

XxX

Kim was looking at me with wide eyes, as if I was telling her to drink poison.

I took my grandfather's special tea from her hands and drank some myself, then handed it to her, who did the same.

I watched her as she settled down and hoped that my grandfather's tea would work out for her.

XxX

**REVIEW! And if you're waiting for Baby Boy to update sorry but this is my 3****rd**** time re-typing it so it'll take a while and I hope to have a 7****th**** chapter for Getting Back A Lost Love this weekend (cross your fingers!).**

**XOXO,**

**emeralgreenlove.**


	3. Movement

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Three: Movement

WARNING: There might be some cursing and sexual references.

Last on Broken Down And Built Back Up:

_Kim was looking at me with wide eyes, as if I was telling her to drink poison._

_I took my grandfather's special tea from her hands and drank some myself, then handed it to her, who did the same._

_I watched her as she settled down and hoped that my grandfather's tea would work out for her._

XxX

KIM

I woke up submerged in darkness.

I shut my eyes tightly and tried to go back to sleep. I shoved my head further into the pillow. It smelled familiar. Like Jack.

I gave up on trying to go back to sleep when my stomach grumbled.

I got up and looked around in the darkness for the light switch. I found it and switched it on, it illuminated Jack's room.

Suddenly I remembered what'd happened and I face palmed myself. Oh goodness, what have I done? This will get me into trouble with Aaron. I should go back home and pretend that it didn't happen. He probably didn't even notice unless he needed a fuck buddy.

Fuck buddy. That's what got me into this stupid mess. Aaron and his uncontrollable hormone-driven self.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw my bags. I made my way over to them and grabbed a few hair ties and breath mints. I knew this would probably happen, I would find myself in a situation where I couldn't brush my teeth for some reason. I ate some of them and put my hair into a braid.

I slowly got out of the sleepy state I was in and wondered where Jack was.

The time on his bedside alarm clock said that it was seven in the evening. That explained the darkness.

I cautiously opened Jack's bedroom door and peeked out to see that the hallway was lit up and empty. I walked down the stairs in the same way, cautious and alert. What if I wasn't supposed to be here? What if Jack's family didn't know and thought I was a thief that broke in or something? That would be bad. _Really_ bad.

There was the smell of someone cooking coming from somewhere, which I followed, but held myself in a position in which I could still defend myself if I needed to.

I was met with the sight of a woman with brown hair whose back faced me.

She turned to face me.

"Hi," I said shyly as I let my eyes wander around the woman's figure from head to toe. The only things that she had in common with Jack were their eyes, the freckles they both had beneath their eyes and their eye color, but somehow I knew she must be his mother.

"Kim right?" she asked, she turned back to her cooking, but kept an eye on me.

"Uh, yes. Where—where's Jack? You're his mother, right?" I replied nervously.

"Yeah. Jack's in the mall, in karate practice I presume. He must be getting home by now. It's dinner time."

I swayed from side to side, almost falling. I grabbed a hold of the refrigerator's handle.

"May I sit?" I gestured to the dinner table.

Jack's mother had seen me almost fall on my face.

"Yeah," she said.

I sat down and put my head on my hands, getting the dizziness to try to get away.

A hand touched mine and I raised up my head to look at Jack's mother, who handed me a glass of ice cold water.

"It'll make you feel better," she said. "You're probably dizzy because you haven't eaten for over a day or so."

I took it from her and asked her, "How do you know that?"

"Jack's told me all about you," she said and I tensed up as I stopped drinking the water and looked at her.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about anything and you can stay here for as long as you need to, but I really want to know about your parents. Do they know anything about what your brother's been doing to you?"

I clenched my hand around the glass of water.

She saw it and said, "Don't get mad at Jack. He only wants what's best for you."

I was mad at Jack for a second before remembering what he had done for me. He had gotten me out of my hellhole and now he'd told his mother about me when I wanted nobody to know.

Finally, I forced out a response that would be plagued with bitterness.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you letting me stay in your home when I don't mean anything to you? You don't even _know_ me. You and I had never even _met._"

"Because you're Jack's friend and you make him happy. I know plenty about you. I watched you and Jack's other friends in Wasabi Warrior, that TV show you were in, so I'd met you before—just not in real life."

A door opened and I heard Jack's voice.

"Hey Mom, have you seen Carly? I'm going to walk her before dinner and before Jaymee and Grandpa get back from her dance classes or whatever. How's Kim? Did she-" he stopped when he saw me. "Oh, hey Kim, how're you feeling?"

"Good," I said, my voice emotionless.

He sat down next to me as his mother answered him.

"The turtle's wherever she always is. Can you turn off the stove in fifteen? It's on low and I'm going to go shower before Jaymee and Dad get home."

"'Kay," he said.

And I looked away as his eyes settled on me. I envied how his and his mother's relationship. It was like the one my own mother and I used to have before she started to leave me alone with only Aaron for company.

Jack caught one of the locks that had fallen out of my braid and placed it behind my ear. I made the mistake of looking up at him.

"Why did you tell her?" I asked him. I didn't want to, but my voice betrayed me and let on what I was feeling: hurt and betrayed.

"One, because it's hard to keep things from your mother, and two, because if something happened to me or to you, it'd be better if at least an adult knows about it."

I nodded.

"Whatever. I don't care. I just want to wake up from this nightmare that I call my life."

XxX

I gasped as I felt something moving inside my stomach.

It was after dinner and Jack's family were all sitting down on the couches in the living room, watching TV as a family activity.

They all had adapted to me quite quickly and had been nice so far.

I felt their eyes on me as I poke my stomach.

"Kim, are you okay?" Jack asked me. When I didn't respond, he tried again. "Kimmy?"

My head snapped up and I met his eyes, fear cursing through me.

XxX

JACK

When Kim looked at me with that scared look on her face I wanted nothing more than to hold her and calm her down, but of course my family jumped on to it.

"Kim, what happened?" my mom asked her.

She looked at her and whispered, "Something moved. Inside me. It's scary."

"May I?" Mom asked.

Kim nodded and Mom touched her stomach and a while after she nodded.

I really wanted to know what was going on with Kim.

"Are you pregnant, Kim?" Mom asked Kim.

My heart stopped and I saw Kim's nervousness in the way her hands shook and her eye twitched.

"I…I don't know," she finally replied sounding breathless.

XxX

**What do you think will happen? My review goal is 25. If I have 25 reviews in a week or less I promise I will update.**

**REVIEW!**

**XOXO,**

**emeralgreenlove.**


	4. Two's Better Than One

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Four: Two's Better Than One

**Note: in the last chapter I meant to say: **Finally, I forced out a response that would_n't_ be plagued with bitterness.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you letting me stay in your home when I don't mean anything to you? You don't even _know_ me. You and I had never even _met._"

Last on Broken Down And Built Back Up:

_JACK_

_When Kim looked at me with that scared look on her face I wanted nothing more than to hold her and calm her down, but of course my family jumped on to it._

_"Kim, what happened?" my mom asked her._

_She looked at her and whispered, "Something moved. Inside me. It's scary."_

_"May I?" Mom asked._

_Kim nodded and Mom touched her stomach and a while after she nodded._

_I really wanted to know what was going on with Kim._

_"Are you pregnant, Kim?" Mom asked Kim._

_My heart stopped and I saw Kim's nervousness in the way her hands shook and her eye twitched._

_"I…I don't know," she finally replied sounding breathless._

XxX

KIM

I'll admit it: I was scared. How can you _not be _scared when it comes to considering having your brother's child inside you? How do you tell yourself you're going to be alright when you barely know what's going on in your life?

It all was making me sick, my world was spinning round and round and I felt like I had motion sickness.

I glanced up at Jack was his mother fussed over me, she was speaking, but it all sounded like gibberish to me.

I suddenly got up, running up the stairs and locking myself in Jack's room.

I slid down the door, my heart pounding hard in my chest. I let out a breath as I saw some duck tape on the top of Jack's dresser and got an idea.

XxX

JACK

I listened to Kim's steps as she ran away, away from me and my family.

I turned to my mother.

"Mom, you shouldn't have done that. You scared her," I said, at the beginning it had come out loud and angry, but my voice had softened when I saw my mother's face and the expression she wore.

"Tell Kim we're going to take her to the hospital," Mom said.

I turned to look at Grandpa and Jaymee, but they didn't look like any help.

I made a stop in the kitchen to get some cookies to eat (to eat off the nerves inside me).

In went up the stairs slowly.

I heard Kim's cries from inside my room; it sounded like she was beating up somebody.

Despite the circumstances, I smiled a small smile. It was good to know that Kim was still in there along with the Broken Girl.

I opened the door and Kim jumped away from it, fists up in the air, pointed toward me.

"Whoa, whoa," I said, holding my hands up in surrender.

Kim pants before saying, "Do you happen to have a punching bag around?"

I closed the bedroom door behind me and chuckled.

Kim had pinned my pillows to the door with duck tape. The pillows were punched in, no doubt cuz of Kim.

"Nice," I said and pointed at them. "And, no, I don't have any punch bags in here, but that's beside the point. Are you okay? I know it must be scary for you."

When Kim kept on staring at me, her lips forming a straight line, so I continued speaking.

"I'll be here for you if you need me. And, Mom said to tell you that she's going to take to the hospital. For what, I have no idea."

Before Kim had the chance to protest, I cut her off.

"Before you say you're not going, listen to what I have to say. Kim, you need professional help. And for one if I were you, I would want to do it and get over it. Think about what's best for you. It's best if you find out if it's true or not. Just do this for yourself, Kim. And if you can't do it for you, do it for me and the guys."

I couldn't even think of the word that described what might be going on in Kim's body, so I called it 'it' instead.

Kim held my gaze, then sat down on the edge of my bed, putting her face in her hands.

I sat down next to her, putting my hand on her shoulder.

She didn't even glance up to see who it was before she buried her face on my chest.

"It's gonna be okay, Kim," I said, putting my arms around her.

"What if it's not, Jack? What if it's not okay? I couldn't deal with it, Jack. I'm only fourteen for Pete's sake."

I stayed silent for a short period of time, before I drew up the perfect words to say to my broken, fragile best friend.

"You know what I'm thinking Kim? I'm thinking we just have to take things slow, one step at a time. We can't get ahead of ourselves. Remember that as awful as it may seem right now, they will _definitely_ get better and everything happens for a reason. Are you with me?"

She nodded.

I drew back a hand and placed it under her chin, lifting it delicately towards my face.

"We'll be okay, Kimmy. I promise."

The corner of Kim's mouth turned up, in a half-smile.

"You mean it? You're not going to change your mind once you realize how hard being around me is?"

I shook my head, my lips raising themselves in an amused smile.

"Sorry that no one informed you of this, but you're pretty much stuck with me for a long time. And yes, I really do mean it."

I brushed a lock of blond hair out of the way of her eyes. I stared at them as they stared back, big and brown and round.

Our faces were pretty close, our noses almost touching.

I was about to lean in when the door to my bedroom was opened by my mother. As if Kim had known this beforehand, she placed her head on my shoulder instead of leaning in. Embarrassing.

My mother scanned the bedroom, her eyes passing over us.

"Are you ready to leave?" she asked at last.

XxX

KIM

After a few hours of tests and what not, it had been confirmed I was pregnant.

I had felt terrified, but at least Jack had been there with me; at least when he _could_ be with me.

Currently we were in a room, getting me a sonogram of the creature inside me. I couldn't get my head wrapped around the fact that it was an actual human, a _baby_ nonetheless.

"Kim, I have discovered something," the woman who was moving this little weird object around my stomach said.

Jack and I exchanged a look and I gripped his hand tighter before looking back at the woman.

"Please do tell," I said, stiff.

"Well, If you look close enough, you will notice that there is more than one fetus," as she was talking she pointed at the screen. She put her fingers pinned in one place and the other one in another place on the screen. "Those are the different fetuses."

I was speechless; my tongue felt like it was tied.

"You—you mean-" Jack said, he sounded as panicked as I was.

"That there is more than one baby? Twins?" I finished for him, awed by the fact that it might be true, and that it wasn't enough for me to just gets a break and find out I have a baby inside me, but _two_.

"That's right, you're having twins. If you listen closely, you can hear the two separate heart beats. Would you like to know their sex?" the lady was all nice and sweet and I just wanted to claw her eyes out. Who's so happy about a teenager having babies? Who and at this time at night?

"Yes," Jack said, at the same time I said, "No."

Jack and I looked at each other again, the lady was watching us carefully.

"Are you the father?" she asked Jack.

While I was already uncomfortable, I looked away, my cheeks burning.

"Does it really matter who the child's father is? Right now all I want to do, and I'm sure Kim wants to do that as well, is hurry up and get out of here."

"Actually, it does matter who the _babies' _father is. Anyhow, do you want to know what the babies' gender is or not?"

"No," I said, looking back at the woman. "I don't wanna know what their genders are."

"Okay," she said and stopped moving the weird little thing around my stomach. She wiped the sticky thing off my stomach and left the room.

I cleared my throat awkwardly.

Jack looked at me, I think he had been deep in thought.

"Are you okay, Kim? You look sad," he said and squeezed my hand.

"Jack, now that we're over with this, what am I going to do? I don't want to go back to my house and face Aaron. And I have no idea what I'm going to do with this babies. What if what's best for them isn't what I do, Jack? What if I mess up? Right now I can't even abort them if I wanted to, because they're too far along and it would hurt them. I can't do that."

Jack touched my stomach, drawing little pictures on my small bump. He then looked up at me and kissed my forehead.

"That's sweet of you, Kim. Can we just forget that you're pregnant for a little while? I'd like it if we could just ignore it for a little while, then you decide what to do, 'kay?"

I nodded.

Jack put his head on top of my stomach.

"Look at it this way, Kim. Two's better than one," he said this and closed his eyes, falling asleep instantly.

Great, now what does that mean and what am I going to do with Jack? I can't carry him cuz he's way too heavy and the doctor said not to strain myself or whatever. That's great, just great. No sports, two kids and a sleeping best friends. I could have never been better.

XxX

**This chapter was more of a filling, but I hope you like it. Did you guys noticed the kick going on? So cute!**

**REVIEW!**

**XOXO,**

**emeralgreenlove.**


	5. NOTE Important!

**A/N: This is the edited version of chapter 4.l**

**Hey, everyone. It's me again.**

**The last time I posted a note, I was really mad and was just writing out of anger. I admit I was wrong and I'm sorry, I COMPLETELY understand and will remember that you all are just humans next time.**

**To AbberzzzCain (and all my readers): I understand and I'm glad you and **_**nclhdrs1717 **_**have brought it to my attention that I'm putting a ridiculous amount of pressure on you guys and I'm really sorry. I want to apologize to everyone because I've gotten greedy and let that blind me and I'm really really sorry. Reviews should be awarded because you really think my story is good/or **_**that**_** bad, not because I'm telling you to. I swear I will try to never ever put that pressure on you again, because it really **_**is**_** mean, and if I ever slip up, I would like it if you guys told me. And so I hope you understand that I made a mistake and be able to move past that and judge me upon my work, not my independent attitude.**

**This may seem really ridiculous, but I was really mad.**

**I would like to thank all of you loyal readers out there who are with me no matter what like **_**Mickey-D 0505, nclhdrs1717, KittyZheng, SadieLove2**_** and countless others. You have no idea how much it means to me .**

**I'm going to answer some of your reviews at the bottom, but for now, I hope you just hold on tight and enjoy the ride ;). **

XxX

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Five: I'll Love You No Matter What

Last on Broken Down And Built Back Up:

_Jack put his head on top of my stomach._

"_Look at it this way, Kim. Two's better than one," he said this and closed his eyes, falling asleep instantly._

_Great, now what does that mean and what am I going to do with Jack? I can't carry him cuz he's way too heavy and the doctor said not to strain myself or whatever. That's great, just great. No sports, two kids and a sleeping best friends. I could have never been better._

XxX

KIM

A few minutes later, the lady that had been giving me the sonogram came back with Jack's mother, Jennifer, and someone else: the man who had been working with me earlier, my new doctor (they didn't allow you to have the same doctors if you're pregnant).

A blush rose up in my cheeks and I looked down at Jack, who was snoring lightly. My hand had been holding his, but I'd let go of it and had been brushing his shirt, dark hair for the sake of doing something.

What was the most embarrassing was that Jack was sleeping on my top of my uncovered baby bump. It was a really sweet and intimate gesture but it's more like the kind of thing that the baby of the father would do, which Jack wasn't.

It seemed as if it was a depravation of privacy when the adults came in. I, for one, thought that I wanted to live in the moment for a while longer, just enjoying the beauty and silence of it, but of course, when you want something, you get the exact opposite of it.

"How're you doing, Kim?" Jennifer asked me.

"I'm doing well," I said timidly.

Jack's mother turned to the adults and began speaking with them.

I tuned it out until I heard something that interested me.

"How along is she?" Jack's mother asked.

"From what I can say, she's thirteen or fourteen weeks along. That's four months or so. I'm very worried about Kim."

"Why?"

"Because she's pregnant with _twins_, yet she's only gained a few pounds. I'm not saying that you should do anything drastic, but she might have an eating disorder and I'm worried about her and the babies. She's also not getting enough vitamins, so I'm going to give you a prescription for that…" and so on.

I looked down at my body and wondered what they were talking about.

Sure, by now, women usually are already blown up, but hey, I'm still a kid and things work differently because of that right?

"Alright, I'll make sure, she gets everything in her that she needs by the next time we come here for a check-up."

Jennifer smiled and walked towards Jack and me.

"Come on, Jack and Kim, we have to go home," she said.

"Jack's asleep. He seems pretty tired," I said.

"Jack. Jack, honey, wake up," she said as she shook him awake.

Suddenly I felt something wet on my stomach.

Jack touched his face, then looked at me.

"I'm so sorry, Kim," he said.

"Don't worry about it," I said, trying to not look grossed out by the fact that his drool was all over me.

As the woman that did my sonogram grabbed some towels for me, Jack fussed over me.

While I felt a bit flattered he was paying such attention to me, it was embarrassing.

XxX

I woke up to an empty bed for the second time.

I groaned and remembered going to the hospital's and falling asleep slowly on the way home. Wait, not _my_ home, Jack's house.

I sat up, picking up a pillow and screaming into it.

What a nightmare is the life I'm living.

First the thing with Aaron, now I'm homeless and pregnant. Geesh.

I went back over the conversation at the hospital. Goodness, it was like I had been holding the weight of the world before I'd gotten checked up.

I had been so scared at the beginning, when I realized there was a chance I might be pregnant. It was like realizing your life was a horror book or movie. I had not just been scared for that fact. I was scared of some many things. I even had a list written down in my journal.

XxX

"Scary Things About Being Pregnant At Fourteen"

Might loose some or most of my friends.

No sports whatsoever.

Will probably get teased at school, get called names and get kicked out of clubs.

Aaron will get mad. He might get mad enough to hit me and have it affect the baby, maybe harming it. Scary. Don't want to have my possible baby harmed or killed.

What family will say. They're gonna get mad and there is a very slim chance that they might kick me out into the street (the possibility is maybe next to one percent, but you never know right?

Have to live on a home that is not my own.

Have family find out about what Aaron's done, loose my chance of staying at Seaford, which would be horrible.

Have to be a teen parent with no help. I bet Aaron would never respond and no one would ever want to be the father of my baby. ^-^.

Where would I get the money to maintain a baby?

XxX

Most of my worries are still there, but now that I have Jack on my side, I feel safer and like everything's going to be okay.

For all of those reasons I went on pretending that I wasn't pregnant, ignoring all of the signs.

I laid back down and smiled, envisioning a perfect world in which I would be around twenty and where my children would be born into a family that was just there, waiting along for them to be born and complete the family. In my perfect world, my babies would have a father whom I wasn't related to. I smiled when I started picturing his perfect face, someone I would love, who would love me back _and _loved my children. Suddenly, Jack's face appeared in the slot of that perfect man I envisioned.

I frowned, opening my eyes.

Surely, Jack wouldn't really want to be my partner, not with me being pregnant and a whole set of different reasons.

I sighed heavily and turned sideways.

I was faced with the night stand and the bunch of pictures sitting there. People stared back at me, some of them were familiar and some of them were not.

As tears started making their way down my face, I grabbed a particular picture frame (it was of Jack and me smiling brightly at the camera). His arms had been around me, and I remember not having to put any effort into my smile because he was so close to me.

I smiled, remembering when it was taken.

I hugged it tightly to my chest and rubbed my belly. I arched my back and let my baby bump grow bigger and bigger as I held my breath in.

"Oh, hon," I said, talking to my stomach, "why is it that you two little guys had to make such trouble for me? I know that it's not you babies' fault for being made, but I wish you wouldn't have been conceived until I was older. I'll love you no matter what, but I can't help but doubt that what will be best for you is not what I'll probably do and I'm sorry for that. I'm really really sorry, little babies."

My tears started rushing out faster and I began to sob.

I clutched the picture frame to me and cried for everything that was going on in my life and everything that would.

XxX

**Kind of sad, huh?**

**Anyways, I got the idea to make a page that has like pictures and stuff for my stories from Kickin'Taylor and so I made one. If you want to like my page/follow it/see the pictures I'll post, it is the following link (thought without the parenthesis such as this):**

***www(.)facebook(.)com/KickinItPropsEmeralgreenlove**

***Facebook Kickin It Props-emeralgreenlove**

**The picture Kim mentioned is in there.**

**Anyhow, here are some reviews I answered:**

**whitebelt9: Thank you so much for your support . You know it means a lot to me, right? ;).**

**person (anonymous): I included an explanation for all of that. Thank you for reading and I hope that's good enough an explanation . (If you spot any mmore mistakes, please consult me).**

**Lazy (anonymous): I now understand that. Thank you for the eye-opener .**

**Hailey (anonymous): Same as above. I totally get where y'all are coming from now. Thanks for that .**

**K.P. (anonymous): I find it so inspiring that you like this story so much ;). I think that if you're thinking of being a good father to your children NOW, then I think you'll be a wonderful one when the time comes . Thank you and I would like to know more about you.**

**To everyone: Thank you for your reviews and support/loyalty and everything else you have all done for me . I apologize for my little freak out and hope you've liked this and reviewed.**

**REVIEW!**

**XOXO,**

**emeralgreenlove.**


	6. I'll Love You No Matter What

**A/N: This is the edited version of chapter 4.**

**Hey, everyone. It's me again.**

**The last time I posted a note, I was really mad and was just writing out of anger. I admit I was wrong and I'm sorry, I COMPLETELY understand and will remember that you all are just humans next time.**

**To AbberzzzCain (and all my readers): I understand and I'm glad you and **_**nclhdrs1717 **_**have brought it to my attention that I'm putting a ridiculous amount of pressure on you guys and I'm really sorry. I want to apologize to everyone because I've gotten greedy and let that blind me and I'm really really sorry. Reviews should be awarded because you really think my story is good/or **_**that**_** bad, not because I'm telling you to. I swear I will try to never ever put that pressure on you again, because it really **_**is**_** mean, and if I ever slip up, I would like it if you guys told me. And so I hope you understand that I made a mistake and be able to move past that and judge me upon my work, not my independent attitude.**

**This may seem really ridiculous, but I was really mad.**

**I would like to thank all of you loyal readers out there who are with me no matter what like **_**Mickey-D 0505, nclhdrs1717, KittyZheng, SadieLove2**_** and countless others. You have no idea how much it means to me .**

**I'm going to answer some of your reviews at the bottom, but for now, I hope you just hold on tight and enjoy the ride ;). **

XxX

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Five: I'll Love You No Matter What

Last on Broken Down And Built Back Up:

_Jack put his head on top of my stomach._

"_Look at it this way, Kim. Two's better than one," he said this and closed his eyes, falling asleep instantly._

_Great, now what does that mean and what am I going to do with Jack? I can't carry him cuz he's way too heavy and the doctor said not to strain myself or whatever. That's great, just great. No sports, two kids and a sleeping best friends. I could have never been better._

XxX

KIM

A few minutes later, the lady that had been giving me the sonogram came back with Jack's mother, Jennifer, and someone else: the man who had been working with me earlier, my new doctor (they didn't allow you to have the same doctors if you're pregnant).

A blush rose up in my cheeks and I looked down at Jack, who was snoring lightly. My hand had been holding his, but I'd let go of it and had been brushing his shirt, dark hair for the sake of doing something.

What was the most embarrassing was that Jack was sleeping on my top of my uncovered baby bump. It was a really sweet and intimate gesture but it's more like the kind of thing that the baby of the father would do, which Jack wasn't.

It seemed as if it was a depravation of privacy when the adults came in. I, for one, thought that I wanted to live in the moment for a while longer, just enjoying the beauty and silence of it, but of course, when you want something, you get the exact opposite of it.

"How're you doing, Kim?" Jennifer asked me.

"I'm doing well," I said timidly.

Jack's mother turned to the adults and began speaking with them.

I tuned it out until I heard something that interested me.

"How along is she?" Jack's mother asked.

"From what I can say, she's thirteen or fourteen weeks along. That's four months or so. I'm very worried about Kim."

"Why?"

"Because she's pregnant with _twins_, yet she's only gained a few pounds. I'm not saying that you should do anything drastic, but she might have an eating disorder and I'm worried about her and the babies. She's also not getting enough vitamins, so I'm going to give you a prescription for that…" and so on.

I looked down at my body and wondered what they were talking about.

Sure, by now, women usually are already blown up, but hey, I'm still a kid and things work differently because of that right?

"Alright, I'll make sure, she gets everything in her that she needs by the next time we come here for a check-up."

Jennifer smiled and walked towards Jack and me.

"Come on, Jack and Kim, we have to go home," she said.

"Jack's asleep. He seems pretty tired," I said.

"Jack. Jack, honey, wake up," she said as she shook him awake.

Suddenly I felt something wet on my stomach.

Jack touched his face, then looked at me.

"I'm so sorry, Kim," he said.

"Don't worry about it," I said, trying to not look grossed out by the fact that his drool was all over me.

As the woman that did my sonogram grabbed some towels for me, Jack fussed over me.

While I felt a bit flattered he was paying such attention to me, it was embarrassing.

XxX

I woke up to an empty bed for the second time.

I groaned and remembered going to the hospital's and falling asleep slowly on the way home. Wait, not _my_ home, Jack's house.

I sat up, picking up a pillow and screaming into it.

What a nightmare is the life I'm living.

First the thing with Aaron, now I'm homeless and pregnant. Geesh.

I went back over the conversation at the hospital. Goodness, it was like I had been holding the weight of the world before I'd gotten checked up.

I had been so scared at the beginning, when I realized there was a chance I might be pregnant. It was like realizing your life was a horror book or movie. I had not just been scared for that fact. I was scared of some many things. I even had a list written down in my journal.

XxX

"Scary Things About Being Pregnant At Fourteen"

Might loose some or most of my friends.

No sports whatsoever.

Will probably get teased at school, get called names and get kicked out of clubs.

Aaron will get mad. He might get mad enough to hit me and have it affect the baby, maybe harming it. Scary. Don't want to have my possible baby harmed or killed.

What family will say. They're gonna get mad and there is a very slim chance that they might kick me out into the street (the possibility is maybe next to one percent, but you never know right?

Have to live on a home that is not my own.

Have family find out about what Aaron's done, loose my chance of staying at Seaford, which would be horrible.

Have to be a teen parent with no help. I bet Aaron would never respond and no one would ever want to be the father of my baby. ^-^.

Where would I get the money to maintain a baby?

XxX

Most of my worries are still there, but now that I have Jack on my side, I feel safer and like everything's going to be okay.

For all of those reasons I went on pretending that I wasn't pregnant, ignoring all of the signs.

I laid back down and smiled, envisioning a perfect world in which I would be around twenty and where my children would be born into a family that was just there, waiting along for them to be born and complete the family. In my perfect world, my babies would have a father whom I wasn't related to. I smiled when I started picturing his perfect face, someone I would love, who would love me back _and _loved my children. Suddenly, Jack's face appeared in the slot of that perfect man I envisioned.

I frowned, opening my eyes.

Surely, Jack wouldn't really want to be my partner, not with me being pregnant and a whole set of different reasons.

I sighed heavily and turned sideways.

I was faced with the night stand and the bunch of pictures sitting there. People stared back at me, some of them were familiar and some of them were not.

As tears started making their way down my face, I grabbed a particular picture frame (it was of Jack and me smiling brightly at the camera). His arms had been around me, and I remember not having to put any effort into my smile because he was so close to me.

I smiled, remembering when it was taken.

I hugged it tightly to my chest and rubbed my belly. I arched my back and let my baby bump grow bigger and bigger as I held my breath in.

"Oh, hon," I said, talking to my stomach, "why is it that you two little guys had to make such trouble for me? I know that it's not you babies' fault for being made, but I wish you wouldn't have been conceived until I was older. I'll love you no matter what, but I can't help but doubt that what will be best for you is not what I'll probably do and I'm sorry for that. I'm really really sorry, little babies."

My tears started rushing out faster and I began to sob.

I clutched the picture frame to me and cried for everything that was going on in my life and everything that would.

XxX

**Kind of sad, huh?**

**Anyways, I got the idea to make a page that has like pictures and stuff for my stories from Kickin'Taylor and so I made one. If you want to like my page/follow it/see the pictures I'll post, it is the following link (thought without the parenthesis such as this):**

*** KickinItPropsEmeralgreenlove**

***Facebook Kickin It Props-emeralgreenlove**

**The picture Kim mentioned is in there.**

**Anyhow, here are some reviews I answered:**

**whitebelt9: Thank you so much for your support . You know it means a lot to me, right? ;).**

**person (anonymous): I included an explanation for all of that. Thank you for reading and I hope that's good enough an explanation . (If you spot any mmore mistakes, please consult me).**

**Lazy (anonymous): I now understand that. Thank you for the eye-opener .**

**Hailey (anonymous): Same as above. I totally get where y'all are coming from now. Thanks for that .**

**K.P. (anonymous): I find it so inspiring that you like this story so much ;). I think that if you're thinking of being a good father to your children NOW, then I think you'll be a wonderful one when the time comes . Thank you and I would like to know more about you.**

**To everyone: Thank you for your reviews and support/loyalty and everything else you have all done for me . I apologize for my little freak out and hope you've liked this and reviewed.**

**REVIEW!**

**XOXO,**

**emeralgreenlove.**


	7. Jack's Teddy Bear

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Six: Jack's Teddy Bear

**Notes: **

**(1)Sorry, my mistake, here's the chapter that should have been updated.**

**(2)There is a lot of kick and fluff in this chapter—you have been warned!**

Last on Broken Down And Built Back Up:

_I hugged it tightly to my chest and rubbed my belly. I arched my back and let my baby bump grow bigger and bigger as I held my breath in._

"_Oh, hon," I said, talking to my stomach, "Why is it that you two little guys had to make such trouble for me? I know that it's not you babies' fault for being made, but I wish you wouldn't have been conceived until I was older. I'll love you no matter what, but I can't help but doubt that what will be best for you is not what I'll probably do and I'm sorry for that. I'm really really sorry, little babies."_

_My tears started rushing out faster and I began to sob._

_I clutched the picture frame to me and cried for everything that was going on in my life and everything that would._

XxX

JACK

As I got into my house, I dropped my backpack, closed the door and ran up the stairs to my room.

I was supposed to meet the guys at the dojo in a little while, but I just had to get my duffel bag and check on Kim. This morning, she looked even better than the day before and, hopefully, with time, she would become the same old Kim. When I say 'even better than the day before,' I mean that she had looked calm and not troubled. She looked as if she'd finally found her heaven.

I knocked on the door softly, turning the knob carefully as to not to scare Kim and peeked in.

As I got closer to Kim, I noticed that there were tears that were recent still on her cheeks. Her arm was draped around a picture portrait and her free hand was on top of her exposed bump.

I watched her for a minute, amazed. How could she have kept her pregnancy hidden for so long? I felt a slight pang of guilt struck me. I was her best friend, wasn't I supposed to see this things—this differences—in Kim as soon as she got them? For goodness' sake, I was probably around her more than her own family. I fact, I _was _part of her family.

I brushed Kim's soft hair out of her eyes as I whispered, "Wake up, Kim."

I shook her a bit before her eyes opened and met my own.

I smiled softly as she clutched the picture frame tighter to her chest.

When she saw it was me, she let out the breath she had been holding and sat up.

Kim blinked a couple of times before she sat up and scratched her eyelids.

She looked down at the frame in her hand. She put it down in her lap and gasped. I sat down next to her and surveyed the damage. It had cracked.

Kim turned to me with worried eyes and said, "Jack, I'm_ so_ sorry. I didn't meant to break it, I just-"

I put my hand up in a 'stop' sign before she kept on rambling.

"It's alright," I said. "Really, don't worry about it."

"But it's of the day that you got that letter that said that we you could go to china for that championship," her voice was soft and sad.

I took the picture frame from her carefully as to not to let any glass drop on her hand and cut her palm.

I turned it around and placed it in my lap, opening it and taking the picture out.

I put the cracked picture frame in the floor beneath the bed and opened the night stand drawer, taking out another picture frame that was similar to the same that had been broken.

I put the picture in it and looked at the picture itself.

I glanced up to see that Kim had been watching me.

"See?" I said as I held the picture frame up to her face. "As good as new."

I laid back on my pillows and yawned, suddenly really tired.

"Why were you sleeping with this?" I asked Kim, showing her the picture frame. "And why were you crying?"

"Well…" she began saying, but then got off the bed, picking up something from the floor. A notebook. She opened her guitar case and dropped it, returning to my bed.

"Come here," I said, opening up my arms and putting the picture frame where it belong.

"Why?"

"Because," I said, yawning, "I suddenly miss my childhood teddy bear and you're the closest thing to Mr. Red Nose that I can find."

Kim laughed lightly.

"I'm serious, Kim." I yawned yet again. "Come here, ya blonde," I said in a mock demanding tone.

"Hey! First, I'm a teddy bear substitute and now I'm a 'blonde.'"

"Come here and I'll explain how things are to you," I said, my eyes were half-opened by now and my arms were still opened.

"Oh, yeah? What makes you think that I want that?"

I kept my eyes on her as I got up and tackled her in a bear hug, falling backwards into my old position with as much tenderness as I could (I didn't want to squish her; while she may be strong, I'm stronger than her).

I closed my eyes, hugging my sweet-smelling best friend to me.

"Weren't you going to 'explain' something to me?" Kim asked me.

"Yes," I said, trying to remember what I was going to say to her. "Oh, yeah. What I was going to say was that you're not my 'teddy bear substitute.' I'm giving you a once in a life time opportunity to be my secret teddy bear."

I peeked at her and saw that Kim had slight small smile on her face despite the fact that her eyes held sadness. I frowned and opened my eyes fully.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She let out a sad sight before replying.

"Nothing. It's just that as long as I'm a momma bear, I won't be able to have anything like we-" she stopped herself before continuing. "How do I put this? As long as I'm pregnant and later on, have… babies, I won't ever be able to have the kind of chance at love as if this hadn't happen. I don't think there ever will be someone that would to date the girl, who's already fourteen— well, fifteen by then, that has already two babies. Most teenage boys are too immature and judgmental to go out with someone who would be labeled 'slut,' save you and the guys. I know you guys will always be there for me when I need you, but I still can't help but worry you know? I get it that it must look bad for me, but still, they won't know anything about me, yet I'll guarantee you they will think badly of me. I don't know what to do or feel or think."

Kim buried her face in my shoulder, probably embarrassed or ashamed.

"Why would you think that, Kim?" I asked in a quiet, husky voice. My arms around her tighten.

"Because it's the truth, Jack," she said, her voice muffled.

"Well, Kim, that really isn't true and you know what? If people judge you, it's _their_ lost 'cuz they don't know how wonderful you are, _especially _guys. You're a wonderful person and you're just going through something none of them know enough to judge you on. You'll figure this out. I promise. And if guys our age don't like you for the fact that you're going to be a mother, then you know that they didn't really like you for _you. _Maybe they might have liked you for your looks, but you wouldn't know because they were too much of a coward to take a risk and find out. Maybe being pregnant might have just saved you from being heartbroken again and again, of going through more Rickys and Brodys."

"I get what you're saying, but what if I was supposed to, like, find my first love a few months-''

I chuckled.

Kim looked at me as if I was crazy.

"What if-" I began saying and tucked Kim's head under my chin, "there was someone who I knew would like you and have a crush on you no matter if you were skinny or fat or ill or healthy? Someone who liked you no matter what."

I felt Kim's lips twitch into a smile on my skin as she was close to my exposed neck.

_Aw, crap, Jack! _I shouted at myself and purposely bit my tongue, though it drew no pain. _Now she's going to ask who this person is and I can't tell her—_

"Are you serious, Jack? Do you really mean it? Do I know him?"

I hesitated before saying, "You _might _know him. I mean, he knows you and I know him, but the real question is do you know him?"

"Who is it?" she asked eagerly.

"No one I'm going to rattle out," I said. I wanted to add to the end of the sentence 'princess,' but I decided against it. It was so weird how I suddenly wanted to start calling Kim all this little pet names.

I came back to reality as Kim begged and said names of possible guys. She would never guess.

"Hey, how about you tell me why you were crying and then I'll decide on maybe giving you a clue on the guy or something?" I said, interrupting me.

"Promise?"

"Umhmm. Now, why was my favorite girl best friend crying?" I pulled her back and looked at her eyes. "Did you go back to your house, Kim? Please tell me that your crappy lack of a man brother didn't touch you. Please tell me that he didn't dare to even lay a finger on you, 'cuz if he did, I swear-"

"I didn't go home, Jack. I was thinking about my family. My parents would be so disgusted by me if they found out. I might end up homeless or having to move out of Seaford with my grandmother, and what about them?" She jerked her chin to bloated stomach. "If I ended up on the streets or something, I couldn't even dream of having money for my kiddos and myself, much less keep them." After a period of silence, she asked me, "Am I seriously your favorite? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better or because I'm your _only _best friend who's a girl."

"Are you kidding?" I said, glad for the change of topic. "You would still be my favorite even if I had a million female best friends."

I winked at her. After a second of silence, we both erupted into laughter.

I put my hand over her stomach absentmindedly and waited a second before little legs started to kick my hand as they had the night before.

Kim put her hand over my own.

"You know," I said, "I'm starting to think that your babies really like me. When I go near your stomach, they always start kicking."

Kim smiled at me. It was a real, amazing smile.

I lowered my eyes.

"He thinks you're beautiful," I said, looking at anything but her. My cheeks were getting red. "The guy who I was talking about earlier."

It was the truth. There were two Jacks: the one that I was around my friends and family and the one that was there when I was with her. My beautiful best friend.

XxX

**Aww isn't that fluffy and lovey-dovey and about a million other things? Personally, it's way too cheesy for me to like it too much, but please leave a review that tells me what you think.**

**Also, if you spot any errors, please tell me. **

**K.P.: Hey! May I ask what your first name is? And you know what's funny? I was looking through my reviews and when I stopped at yours I was like 'hey, we have almost the same initials.' My initials are 'K.R.' My name's Karla. I'm 14 and my birthday is just a month after yours (lol). I went to a museum where they showed how amazing Africa's culture and traditions is; I was blown away! Africa's culture and traditions are so beautiful and the continent is so big! I hope you are doing well. I don't usually say this, but you sound like such a sweetheart! Thank you for reviewing and when you make an account, you let me know, okay?**

**REVIEW!**

**XOXO,**

**emeralgreenlove.**


	8. Comfort

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Eight: Comfort

***WARNING: If you want to avoid the 'sexual reference' part of this chapter, skip the last 'XxX,' which will have an asterisk (*).**

Last on Broken Down And Built Back Up:

_"I didn't go home, Jack. I was thinking about my family. My parents would be so disgusted by me if they found out. I might end up homeless or having to move out of Seaford with my grandmother, and what about them?" She jerked her chin to her bloated stomach. "If I ended up on the streets or something, I couldn't even dream of having money for my kiddos and myself, much less keep them." After a period of silence, she asked me, "Am I seriously your favorite? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better or because I'm your only best friend who's a girl."_

_"Are you kidding?" I said, glad for the change of topic. "You would still be my favorite even if I had a million female best friends."_

_I winked at her. After a second of silence, we both erupted into laughter._

_I put my hand over her stomach absentmindedly and waited a second before little legs started to kick my hand as they had the night before._

_Kim put her hand over my own._

_"You know," I said, "I'm starting to think that your babies really like me. When I go near your stomach, they always start kicking."_

_Kim smiled at me. It was a real, amazing smile._

_I lowered my eyes._

_"He thinks you're beautiful," I said, looking at anything but her. My cheeks were getting red. "The guy who I was talking about earlier."_

_It was the truth. There were two Jacks: the one that I was around my friends and family and the one that was there when I was with her. My beautiful best friend._

XxX

JACK

I was half asleep, but I was well aware of what my mother saw when she came into my room. Her son with his best friend wrapped in his arms. My hand still resting on top of Kim's stomach.

"Jack," my mom said softly. Then her voice got louder and louder with each time. "Jack, Jack, JACK!"

I shot up into a sitting position with a "What!"

I rubbed my eyes and looked down at Kim. She moved over, half-laying on her stomach, yet remaining asleep-or so she faked. If you didn't know her as well as I did, you wouldn't have noticed it.

I scratched my head and yawned.

"What is it, Ma? I'm really tired and I just wanna go back to sleep."

"She's still asleep?" She nodded to Kim. "And here you go, your sensei called to ask why you weren't there." She handed me my phone. "Shouldn't you head down to the mall?"

I shook my head.

"Kim needs me," I glanced back at her 'sleeping' form, "and I won't take her to the mall. You heard what the doctor said, and knowing Kim, she'll get into some sort of fight. I'll call Rudy and tell him what's up. I'm sure he'll understand. Kim needs me and I'm not going to leave her on her own."

"Okay, you do that and wake her up. Goodness, she must be starving. Being pregnant with twins is _not _an easy thing, you know."

"No, I don't know, 'cuz, you know, I've _never _been pregnant nor will I _ever _be," I said, looking away and rolling my eyes in annoyance.

"Don't be sassy," she said half-absentmindedly, looking at Kim.

"'Kay."

She left, slamming the door close.

Kim rolled over to look at me.

"I have a feeling she doesn't like me," she said.

I shook my head.

"She does. She just doesn't show it. Otherwise, she would have thrown you out of the house already."

XxX

KIM

"So, Kim," Jack's mom said, "how do you feel about maybe staying home and not going back to school until after you give birth?"

I looked at her surprised.

I swallowed and asked, "What do you mean?"

Jack and his mother shared a weird look before Jennifer's eyes returned to me and Jack continued eating his lunch (it bad been a half day at school).

"I know how delicate a topic this is and I thought that you would handle it better if you stayed away from school for the time being. I know how mean kids can be and your pregnancy would go along smoother if you don't over-stress yourself. It's not good for you to be around people who might make things harder, and I just want what's best for you."

I looked back at Jack, who was stuffing his face like there was no tomorrow. That was weird for him. Not the part about his teen boy way, but the way he did it.

I looked back at Jennifer.

"You two are hiding something from me aren't you?" I asked after a period of silence. They shared another look. "What is it?" When I got no answer, I asked again, "What is it you're hiding? I'm going to find out sooner or later and I'd rather find out from you, Jack."

"You're right," he said. I was surprised he gave in in such a short period of time. "Check your profile page."

I frowned and checked my pockets for my phone.

"Here," Jack said and handed me his.

I logged in as quickly as I could and was surprised by all the notifications that popped out in front of my eyes. Pretty much all of them asked me more or less the same things. _Kim, where are you? Are you okay? Why did you leave? _What surprised me the most was Aaron's inboxed message, which read: Kimmy, wherever you are, please come home. I know you're not missing and I need you to come home IMMEADIATELY PLEASE. You're my baby sis and I miss and need you. PLEASE. I KNOW you're reading.

I started hyperventalating, my hands shaking. I got up, the chair clattering behind me as it fell, but I wasn't there, not mentally, and all I could think was 'I can't go back. I _can't_. But I _have _to. But then again, I _can't._ What do I do? What do I _do_?'

"Kim!" Jack shouted, getting up and coming to my side.

I felt myself loose control of everything around me. For a minute it felt as if I was drowning in the sea, having only my head above water, which was spinning around like crazy. I came back to reality after Jack put his hand in front of me and started moving it up and down.

"Are you okay?" he asked me and I opened my mouth, trying to answer, but all that came out was a choked sob. I didn't want to cry anymore. I just wanted to go back to being me, but the emotions cursing through me didn't allow me to do that.

I grimaced and looked at the floor, where I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. I wiped away a few tears from my eyes and looked at the message again, which made me more upset. The room spun around me and somehow I ended up with Jack's arms around me as I fell to my knees, not strong enough to carry my own weight.

Jennifer yanked the phone from my hold-I had been holding onto it tightly-and tried to shush me.

"Kim, what's going on?" Jack asked me softly. "Please talk to me. You're scaring the crap out of me, Kim. Please."

I turned in his arms and sobbed into his shirt.

"I don't wanna go back to him," I said between sobs. "I don't want to have to kill my babies. I don't want to go back to being a victim. I just wanna be happy again. I just wanna be happy, that's all I want. Is that too much to ask?"

Jack rubbed my back and pulled me close.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Kim. Don't worry, okay? We'll figure this out as we go."

Jack continued to comfort me until I ran out of tears to cry, though I wished I hadn't. It felt good to be able to let it all out and be in Jack's arms. His embrace was warm, sweet, and full of something that let me to believe that he _cared_. Lovely.

I'd missed those kinds of hugs. The ones your love ones give you when you fall down and scrape your knees; the ones I'd been missing out on and silently, unconciously longing for.

I love him for that.

XxX

Jack carried me to the couch in the living room and set up a movie, then returned to the couch and put my head in his lap.

I watched his face, so concentrated and thoughtful. He looked back down at me in wonder.

"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked me as the movie trailers began showing.

I picked up a pillow and put it beneath my head as I thought of what I was going to tell him. I wasn't going to tell him exactly what was going through my head, and being so close to his...anatomy made me feel icky and nervous.

"I don't know, Jack. What do you want to hear?" I said.

Jack brushed away a stray tear that'd remained on my cheek.

"I want to know what's going through your mind, Kimmy. Why did you-What's making you sad, Kim? I don't know. I don't care what you say as long as you talk to me."

He brushed my hair back and reached for my hand, interlacing his fingers through mine and kissing the back of my hand.

I stopped breathing for a second.

"You're the best friend every girl wishes for," I whispered, talking through the lack of oxygen I was suffering from. I snapped my mouth shut afterwards, not believing I'd been so bold as to say that to him.

"Yeah?" Jack asked, tilting his head to the side, smiling crookedly.

"Yeah," I said, not being able to help my own grin from plastering itself onto my face. "You've been here for me when others would have run away. You protect me even when I don't need it, and you see past everything else that's going on to me now. Not to mention all this craziness and you're not disgusted by me, which I'm glad about."

"Well, you _are _the only best friend of mine who I _have _to protect from evil boys out to get you." He shook his head. "Now if I did that with Eddie or Milton...let's just say that it wouldn't go too well with the ladies. That's not something I want to even get into," he shook his head and laughter escaped my lips. "And, well," he dropped his voice to a whisper, "you are also my secret teddy bear, and what's mine, nobody hurts or breaks. Got it?"

I stared at him, my eyes a little wider than usual and my mouth slightly open. I couldn't believe he had just called me his. Maybe I had misheard him or something.

I was lost somewhere inside my head when I noticed the fingers about to tickle me. I tried to get away from them, but Jack was faster.

Laughter left my mouth without my permission, but it felt so good I didn't even feel embarrassed when I started snorting...yeah, embarrassing, right? Well, at least it wasn't something new to Jack. If it would have been, he wouldn't have let me live it down.

"Stop!" I said between laughs. "Stop!"

"Are you sure you want me to stop?" Jack asked with a grin, challenging me.

I hesitated, I didn't want to look like a wimp, but I gave in.

"Yes, okay? I give up."

"Alriiiiight," Jack said, showing his disappointment as he stopped tickling me, but left his hands where they were resting.

"You're crazy," I said after the silence was a little bit too much for me to bear.

"I am _not_," he said. "And what makes you think that?"

"Because," I said in a duh tone, "you never, under any circumstances tickle a pregnant girl." I shook my head. "You don't even wanna know the possibilities of what could happen if you did."

I watched him as he got his serious 'I'm thinking' face.

I couldn't stand but laugh at him.

"I'm _messing _with you, Jack."

He shook his head and played with my hair.

"I can't believe some people are so stupid as to turn on their little sisters," he whispered, looking everywhere _but _me. "I could never ever do that to Jaymee, and if anybody ever hurt her the way he did to you, I would no longer be a free man. Gosh, the only thing keeping me back now is that I just know it wouldn't be a good time to get myself into juvie."

"_Jack_-"

"I'm sorry, Kim, I didn't mean to make you upset. It's just...I wish I could have gotten to you faster. If I had, then you wouldn't be in the position you're in, and it makes me upset that you had to go through all that you did and you suffered through it alone. I just hope that you'll let me be here to help you through what you're going through _now_, and help you become the old Kim."

I sat up and moved to sit sideways on his lap.

"Really? You will?"

"Really. I will."

I smiled, putting my head on Jack's shoulder as he kissed my forehead and the movie we were going to see began.

XxX

For two or three nights, I woke up screaming in my guest bedroom. Jack, Jennifer and Jack's grandfather thought that I was being kidnapped or something and came running to my room. Jack said that I had been his screaming for him to come help me. I'd been shaking, tossing and trashing and pulling at my clothes when he came to my room.

I hated how real the nightmares seemed to be. Some of the time, I could feel a part of myself awaken, but I still felt his hands hitting me, his voice loud and clear screaming and yelling in my ear, but I couldn't wake myself up or do anything about it. That was when I needed Jack to comfort me the most. He would hug me and whisper soothing words in my ear, press me tighter to him and kiss my forehead, hair or ear. He really was the best friend a girl could ask for. I tried to not become too depent on him, because like everything else in life, he wouldn't be there permanently, but I really needed him there, and because of that, I felt embarrassed and ashamed in my waking hours. But at the same time, I hoped he wouldn't become sick and tired of me, because I loved the way he caresses my cheek, hugs me, kisses me and makes me feel like a princess.

On the third or fourth night, I sneaked into his bedroom and watched him sleep, which calmed me down a little. I know it seemed a little creepy and stalker-like, but I was still scared from the dream, and, frankly, I was too embarrassed and much too proud to ask him for help. I love how when he sleeps, his face is free of emotions and he looks like a sweet little boy out of a fairytale book.

"Kim?" he said. My smile faded and I started panicking. Would he be mad? Upset? Would he think I was a creep? "Had a dream?" Jack asked me and opened his eyes enough so that they looked like slits.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered out.

Jack patted the spot next to him.

I nervously made my way over to him and sat down.

Jack blindly reached out and grabbed my thigh, trying to bring me closer to him.

"Come 'ere," he said groggily and opened his arms.

I climbed into them, relaxing when Jack tightened his arms around my waist and started brushing my hair back with his eyes still closed.

"How you feelin'?"

"Better now," I whispered back.

"That's good. Well, let's go back to sleep, baby girl, okay?" Jack didn't even wait for me to reply before his light snores filled the room.

A blush rose up in my cheeks, and I smiled to myself as I fell back into a light sleep.

*XxX

Moans escaped my mouth as he kissed a sensitive part of me, then he kissed his way up to my mouth, and finally, we were kissing passionately. I was waking up, I could feel it, but I didn't want to wake up for once in a long time. It was actually a _dream_, and not a nightmare, and instead of being forced into having sex, I was actually being made love to. He made me feel so _wonderful_, loved, not scared, angry and sad.

I opened my eyes slowly as I felt his arms tighten around my waist.

I turned a little in his arms, then let out a sight of relief when I saw that his face was perfectly emotionless and that he hadn't awoken. I kissed the tip of his nose and turned back to sleep.

XxX

JACK

When her lips made contact with my nose, I tried my hardest not to wake up and freak her out.

She turned back around in my arms and her breathing picked up. I loved having her in my arms and I loved how she called out my name in her sleep, and for the first time, it wasn't because she was terrified, it was because she was _dreaming_ with me, and that felt great.

I smiled, pulling her closer to me and burying my face in her silky hair.

XxX

**Long, eh? Haha. Well, I hope you enjoyed this because I've been working on it for a while. The last part I thought gave it a little flare/twist, so hopefully you liked it.**

**REVIEW!**

**XOXO,**

**Emeralgreenlove.**


	9. Cousin Cody And Leaving

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Nine: Cousin Cody And Leaving

Last On Broken Down And Built Back Up:

*Sexual Reference*

_Moans escaped my mouth as he kissed a sensitive part of me, then he kissed his way up to my mouth, and finally, we were kissing passionately. I was waking up, I could feel it, but I didn't want to wake up for once in a long time. It was actually a_ dream_, and not a nightmare, and instead of being forced into having sex, I was actually being made love to. He made me feel so _wonderful_, loved, not scared, angry and sad._

_I opened my eyes slowly as I felt his arms tighten around my waist._

_I turned a little in his arms, then let out a sight of relief when I saw that his face was perfectly emotionless and that he hadn't awoken. I kissed the tip of his nose and turned back to sleep._

_XxX_

_JACK_

_When her lips made contact with my nose, I tried my hardest not to wake up and freak her out._

_She turned back around in my arms and her breathing picked up. I loved having her in my arms and I loved how she called out my name in her sleep, and for the first time, it wasn't because she was terrified, it was because she was _dreaming_ with me, and that felt great._

_I smiled, pulling her closer to me and burying my face in her silky hair._

XxX

KIM

I turned a little in Jack's arms as the alarm clock went off. It was about an hour after my latest dream and I wanted to go back to sleep, but I had to wake Jack up first. His arms were still wrapped around my waist in a slightly protective manner. I brushed his hair out of his eyes and smiled sleepily at his peaceful features.

"Jack," I whispered. "Jack, wake up, please. It's time to go to school, hon. Wake up."

Jack only tightened his arms around me and buried his face in my back.

"Jack, I know you don't want to wake up, but you have to go to school. You just have to, okay? Only a few more weeks and then school's gonna be out. Wake up, Jack, wake up."

"I don't want to. I'm going to stay here with you. You know, your hair smells like strawberries."

"Thanks, but don't try to distract me. Get up and get out of here before your mom comes in here, kills me, and then kills you."

"I have a good attendance record, one day won't hurt me."

"Yes, but you're studying for final tests, so it's important that you go. Plus, if you don't, good luck studying alone in the afternoon, then tomorrow, _and_ Sunday. You know how lonely and boring studying on your own can be."

Jack sighed and looked up at me, his eyes half-opened looking like zombie.

"You drive a hard bargain," he finally said.

"I know."

"Can I just sleep in a little more? Pleeeeease?"

"I don't care what you do as long as you get your butt up before school starts. You'd have to skip your morning shower if you sleep in for a couple more."

"I took three showers yesterday. I don't think I smell so bad that I need another one, but I can still take a quick one and sleep in."

He sat up, letting go of me and stretching as I followed suit. When the duvet dropped from Jack's chest was when I noticed that he didn't have a shirt on. It's not like I'd never seen a guy shirtless (hellooooo! I'm pregnant!), I was just surprised.

I looked away as he yawned, wondering how the heck had I not noticed before he was shirtless.

"Jack?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Where'd your shirt go?"

"Tell you later," was his response as he laid his head on my lap, eyes closed as he yawned again, and rubbed my belly.

I blushed.

Again with the intimate, sweet gestures—what was wrong with him? It was only making me like him more than I already did. That was not supposed to happen, okay? Boy best friends are not to crush on, Kim, they're there to help you, and be friends with you. Don't think of him as anything more that your best friend, Kim, or you're going to end up breaking your own heart.

The alarm clock went off after a few minutes of Jack going back to sleep, breaking me out of my thoughts.

Jack got up, groaned and stretched out. (Thankfully, he'd remembered to keep his pants on-last time I saw him in boxers, when he came into my room because of a nightmare, I'd _totally_ wigged out.)

Jack muttered sarcastically something along the lines of, "First, mom, now, Kim. What would I do and where would I be without my women?" as I fell back into the pillows.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you mind if I stay here?" I asked, my voice thick with sleep. "In your room, I mean. I don't want to go back to mine...it feels so cold and scary in there...I promise I'll make your bed and everything."

"Sure, I guess. Just make sure that when you get up you actually make the bed-Mom gets really mad if I don't do that."

"'Kay," I said and fell back to sleep.

Fifteen minutes or so later, the opening of the bedroom door woke me up.

I was surprised that I was so comfortable in a bed once again...

Suddenly, I fell a pair of warm lips on my cheek, and his smell overpowered my nose.

"Good luck, Kim," Jack whispered, "and have a good day. You deserve it, you pretty girl."

A minute went by and he was gone, leaving me puzzled, and out to face the sharp, painful memories that came with sleep on my own.

XxX

I try to work out a math problem, but my concentration doesn't last long. I'm sitting in the kitchen table, with my math notebook and textbook, trying to do the work that I would have been doing had I been in school.

I take in a deep breath to clear my head, and put my hand on top of my stomach. I don't know if it's just me, or if my stomach actually grows bigger and bigger everyday. It's amazing to witness it and know and feel that there are actually two little people growing inside me. Two little people who depend on me, expect me to take care of them, protect them and love them more than anything else in the world.

The very though of being their mother makes me excited. I'm excited to know that I will finally have somebody—actually, two little persons-who won't leave me and will love me back as much as I love them. Maybe I feel that way about them because everyone in my family has turned their backs on me and left me alone. The future with my twins in it seems so bright...then I actually come back down to Earth and make myself wake up and smell the rotten roses that are my life.

I know that no matter what, I will love my babies with all of my heart, even if other people see them with different eyes and have different opinions about them. To me they are so innocent that the facts that their father _did _rape me, their father _is _my brother _and _their half-father, half-uncle doesn't affect me or the love I feel for them.

I try to imagine what my friends would say when and if they ever found out...The only ones I could ever count on to actually be there for me would be the guys from the dojo, because I know that everyone else would just shun me. I want to see them really badly and join them on whatever crazy adventure they're on, but logic is holding me back—that and the fact that there are missing posters of me everywhere. At least that's what Jack told me.

The truth is that in the end, I'm going to end up being an outcast, who will be struggling to scrape by, study, and be a mother of two. I still haven't told my family about anything going on with me, and Jack, his mother, and my savings aren't going to be able to keep my head above water forever.

I need to do something, but at the same time, I feel as if I'm stuck in the middle of something, not being able to move forward.

Well, I mused, at least I'm away from Aaron, and he can't violate me anymore. He can't touch me or my little ones, or make me do anything I don't want to.

I closed my eyes as images assaulted me.

Him. Touching me, calling me things, trying to get me to drink alcohol, ripping my clothes from my body, the way he said my name with lust, the way he called me the same thing Jack had called me last night...

"Kim?"

I took a huge breath in and opened my eyes. Jack was staring down at me worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he whispered as he knelt down in front of me.

Jack cupped my face and rubbed his thumb across the top of my cheek.

"I don't know," I whispered back, my voice cracked. "My world's crumbling down, Jack, but, tell me, what's new?"

"You know, I really hate to see you sad, Kimmy," he said and took ahold of the hand I had on top of my stomach, intertwining it with his. "You're...you're my best friend...Kim, you are a really special person to me. I want to see you happy again. I want to see you smile and laugh and threaten the guys on a daily basis. Heck, I'd do anything, _anything _to get you out of this depressing state you're in."

He looked up at me with such admiration and love (I think) in his eyes that I wanted to lean down and press my lips against his, to show him all that I felt for him, but something held me back.

Jack kissed my tummy and buried his face in it.

"I care so much about you, girl. You're driving me up the wall, down, and up again."

"Jack, I care about you too. A lot... Can I ask you something?"

He looked up at me with those stupid, cute brown eyes full of love (?) that I couldn't seem to look away from because they had me under their spell. I couldn't believe I was stupid enough to fall for them-more specifically, for _him_. My best friend. Gosh, what was wrong with me?

I couldn't believe I was going to be so bold as to ask him what was going through my mind.

"Jack, I'm just going to straight out ask you this. Why are you acting like-"

Somebody knocked loudly on the front door, cutting me off.

"Dammit," I said, and looked back down at Jack as he chuckled and kissed the back of my hand.

"Jack! Bro! Open up, man! It's Cody!"

I frowned as Jack stood up.

"Jack? Who's Cody?"

"My annoying cousin," he said, rolling his eyes, disgust clear in his features. "Let me warn you, he's pretty weird and hits on every girl he sees, so watch out."

"'Kay," I said and got up. "I wanna see if he has any resemblance to you."

"Okay."

He walked ahead of me and turned to me before he opened the door. He mouthed something and made some funny faces.

I laughed and nodded.

"Dude!" Cody said to Jack immeadiately after he opened the door. "I thought my butt was gonna fall off, man! I-" Cody's eyes landed on me. He smiled weirdly after checking me out, then moved Jack aside. "Well, hello, beautiful. Name's Cody. Cody Coleman. Who are _you_, m'lady?"

He made a grab for my hand, but I quickly snatched it away from him.

"Hi," I said, then looked at Jack, who was still wearing an annoyed look on his face. He held my gaze and smiled.

Throughout the afternoon, about three or four hours, Cody took the liberty of asking me out at least ten times. He was kind of cute, but seriously, get to know me, _then _ask me out. I'm pretty sure the only thing the boy knew about me was my name.

Cody is sandy-haired, brown-eyed, has freckles and a cute smile. He has skin that's slightly tanned and is very charming, but even if I wanted to, I don't think I could ever like him as more than a friend.

XxX

"Kim?" Cody asked me as I stopped staring at my dinner plate.

"What is it?" I replied, slightly annoyed.

"Kim, do you-" he started, before Jack interrupted him.

"Cody, enough!" Jack said, mad. "She doesn't want to go out with you, and if you repeat that darn question once again, you're gonna regret it."

That got everyone's attention. I looked at Jack, shocked at his outburst, then at Cody as he began to talk again.

"Chillax, Jack, you're blowing things out of proportion. I get it." He winked at me. "See?" Then he said something that I couldn't hear, but it made Jack mad.

"You know what?" Jack said. "I've been patient enough, Cody! Enough is enough! Respect others and their feelings, alright?"

Cody smirked and Jack got up, his fist flying towards Cody's face.

"Jack!" I screamed after my shock. "Jack, stop!"

My words were said to deaf ears, so I made a snap decision.

'I'm sorry' I mouthed to Jennifer and left.

I ran upstairs and grabbed my backpack from the floor of my bedroom. It was an emergency backpack I'd prepared. It had money and everything else I needed. I ran back downstairs after I wrote a note that explained why I was leaving, because I was getting in his way, and exited the back door after I was sure nobody saw me leave.

I hope it's for the best...

XxX

**Hey, emeral here! I hope you enjoyed that :). There is a LOT of drama coming up for this story, so I'm very excited about that.**

**The next chapter of this story was inspired by another hurt/comfort and romance story here in the Kickin' It fandom, it's called _Save Me_, and though it's a bit confusing at times, I thought that it was great, and guess what? You should totally go read it :).**

**Remember: These two upcoming weeks are my last two weeks of summer, so you might as well take advantage of that.**

**REVIEWS=SNEAK PEEK and FASTER UPDATING.**

**REVIEW!**

**emeralgreenlove.**

**P.S. I have some replies to your reviews (excuse me if I misspelled your usernames):**

**_Brittana Forever: _Thank you :).**

**_TwinklymarshmellowSnowPuffle : _Thank you. You deserve an awesome welcome to fanfiction and I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations ;).**

**_Guest: _(said, "Love it…More Please!") Thank you :).**

**_ToLive4EverIsImpossible: _Thanks, KP :).**

**_Livy G.: _I don't think I've ever said this to you, but I love your username :). I just love the nickname Livy. Anyhow, I would ask for Jack as a best friend too haha, it's my job to do that :); Aaron WILL come back into Kim's life at SOME point, but that's all I can tell you; thank you; and last but not least I don't haven't planned to do anything to the babies yet, but the story is still young ;)).**

**_Demi101: _Here you go, more as you asked :).**

**_xXStay. .Xx: _Thank you :)_._**

**_2Scared2MakeAMove: _Awesome, true username :). Thank you so much, it means a lot to me :). **

And last, but not least…

**_Im A Nerd That Loves Kid Shows:_ Totally, I bet Jack would be an awesome baby daddy :). I really enjoy writing those parts where the babies make the characters grown closer :3, so I totally get you. I've never been pregnant either (hey, I'm only 14!), but those moments also touch my heart :). **

**Thank you to everyone who has given me support and has read my story this far. You are all truly awesome, and if you want to discuss anything with me, I would love to hear more from you :). **

**Don't forget to review!**


	10. Saved

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter 10: Saved

XxX

_"Kim?" Cody asked me as I stopped staring at my dinner plate._

_"What is it?" I replied, slightly annoyed._

_"Kim, do you-" he started, before Jack interrupted him._

_"Cody, enough!" Jack said, mad. "She doesn't want to go out with you, and if you repeat that darn question once again, you're gonna regret it."_

_That got everyone's attention. I looked at Jack, shocked at his outburst, then at Cody as he began to talk again._

_"Chillax, Jack, you're blowing things out of proportion. I get it." He winked at me. "See?" Then he said something that I couldn't hear, but it made Jack mad._

_"You know what?" Jack said. "I've been patient enough, Cody! Enough is enough! Respect others and their feelings, alright?"_

_Cody smirked and Jack got up, his fist flying towards Cody's face._

_"Jack!" I screamed after my shock. "Jack, stop!"_

_My words were said to deaf ears, so I made a snap decision._

_'I'm sorry' I mouthed to Jennifer and left._

_I ran upstairs and grabbed my backpack from the floor of my bedroom. It was an emergency backpack I'd prepared. It had money and everything else I needed. I ran back downstairs after I wrote a note that explained why I was leaving, because I was getting in his way, and exited the back door after I was sure nobody saw me leave._

_I hope it's for the best..._

XxX

JACK

After doing some rolling on the floor, Mom managed to get me off of Cody. I was _so _mad at him. How _dare _he say that?

I looked around and noticed that someone was missing from the group. Kim.

When I made sure that Kim was definitely not in the same room as us, I turned to glare at Cody.

"Do you see what you've done? Kim's gone!"

I ran upstairs to her room to look for her, and everywhere else in the house, but all I managed to find were a couple Post-It notes directed to me.

XxX

Jack—

Don't ever let a girl get in between you and somebody in your family (including your guy friends). Ever. It's just not worth it. Don't worry about me, you silly boy, I'm not going home—TRUST me; I KNOW how your mind works. I don't know where I'm going just yet, but I need to get out of here. I'm not used to being so caged in. I need to breathe some fresh air.

Love,

Kim C.

XxX

Even though she told me not to worry, I couldn't help to do so. I felt an odd feeling near my heart. I didn't completely understand it, but somehow I understood some of it and that was that Kim was in danger and she needed me.

I ran downstairs and went to the living room where everyone was sitting down and talking or watching. Cody was tending to his black eye with my uncle's help while the adults talked and Jaymee watched TV.

"Everyone!" I yelled and stopped running.

When everyone looked up at me, I continued.

"Can you help me look for Kim? She left, and I have a feeling that tells me that she's either in trouble or about to get into trouble."

"I don't know, Jack," Mom said. "When she left she looked pretty upset. Maybe you should give her some space and time to think."

"Are you serious, Mom? You know better than everyone else the danger she's running! She's pregnant for Pete's sake! Pregnant! And if for some reason she decides to go back to her house, then she's doomed! Doomed! And I'm going to end up feeling like the worst best friend in the world."

When I saw that my family was still taking it in, I decided that if they weren't going to help, than I was going to do it alone because it wouldn't be _their _best friend who was in trouble.

"You know what?" I said. "I'm going solo. I'm not going to stand back and let that idiot brother of hers or anybody else hurt her even more. She doesn't deserve that."

I ran to the door and was about to open it when Cody's voice stopped me.

"I'll help you look for her," he said.

I looked back at him and nodded a second later, silently agreeing to let him help me find her.

"Just know that you're going to have to do a lot of running. I know that's not your thing."

"I'll still help you, man. _Anything_ for family."

XxX

KIM

Tears made their way down my face as I sobbed and sat down in a bench in the park.

Why was it that I had to cause problems? Why? What had I done to deserve it?

I clutched my stomach as I leaned forward and threw away the dinner I'd just finished eating. I wiped my mouth with a tissue, then took a swing of water from the warm bottle of water that I had stored in my backpack.

This was too much for me. All that was going on around me tired me out, especially with pregnancy hormones at work, which probably caused all the crying.

I touched my stomach and tried to show the beings inside me how much I loved them through the touches I gave them. I wasn't about to let my crappy mood and (sometimes) crappy life affect them.

I closed my eyes tightly and remembered how _soothing _his embrace was, how much I loved waking up in his arms, gosh I pretty much love almost everything about him, and how do I show him my appreciation for everything he's done for me? I go ahead and get a little angry at his cousin, which in turn gets them into a fist fight.

I shook my head and tried to clear my head, to figure out my next move-

"Well, well, look what the wind blew in for us," a deep male voice said. A familiar one.

Though I felt like shaking in fear, all I could do was look up and stand my ground. Be brave.

XxX

JACK

"Kim! Kim!" I screamed.

"She's not going to respond," Cody said. "If she left, she's not going to come out of her hiding place _just_ because you're calling her name."

I looked at him angrily, but didn't open my mouth. It wasn't _completely _his fault that she left. Sure, he had been kind of obnoxious and all over her, but it had been my fault too, for letting him get to me.

Cody and I only had to walk a couple more blocks to get to where she could possibly be.

"Cody, stop walking," I whispered.

He looked at me and did as I asked him.

"Do you hear that muffled screaming?" I said.

"No."

"Well, if you listen better you might be able to hear it. That might be Kim."

His puzzled look told me that I needed to explain.

"Look, Kim's been through some horrible stuff. She may act strong sometimes and threaten to do some damage to you, but she's human too and it wouldn't surprise me if-nevermind that. Just know that-"

I heard the muffled scream again, and peeked around the corner.

Twenty or so feet in front of me there were two guys in an abandoned park. One was holding a girl-Kim-and the other one was talking loudly, slowly touching the girl's body and tugging at her clothes as to show her what he was about to do. My anger was making me see red, so I briefly closed my eyes and prayed desperately, 'Please don't let that be Kim, please don't let that be Kim.'

"Cody," I whispered with urgency, "I'm going to make sure the girl's fine. You call the cops anonymously and tell them that there are two guys sexually harassing a girl in an abandoned park. Tell them where we are."

I didn't wait for his reply and moved to some bushes that were a little closer to her. It took me some time, but I crawled from bush to bush until I was only a couple feet away from them.

I looked closely and concentrated on the girl's expression. She was terrified.

I forced myself to think of her as a nameless girl who I didn't know, because if I thought of her by name, I would snap and not be able to help her. I formulated a plan, but it cost me time. Time in which one of the aggressors took her shirt off and told her all the dirty things he was going to do to her.

I closed my eyes and took hold of a big rock. Please let this work, I thought.

By now, one of the two men had her pinned to the ground, and the other one was messing with his phone, probably recording the whole thing. The guy that was on top of her was kissing her neck and licking the soft skin.

The girl was looking up at the sky, her eyes full of tears, her mouth screaming silently. I'd never seen anything so scary; I was _terrified_ for her. I felt like throwing up, and as if I were in a trance, waiting for the perfect moment to come in which I would throw the rock at one of the guys.

"JACK!" she screamed at what seemed like the highest pitch she could possibly manage, surprising me and making the guy on top of her sit up and straddle her hips.

He slapped her multiple times and screamed in her face, "You b*tch! Shut up! Your brother was right-you're not even that good of a f*ck, but you're gonna shut up and act like you're enjoying it too. If you're gonna scream somebody's name, scream _my _name, 'cuz _I'm _going to be the one who's gonna screw you over, not this _Jack _you're screaming for."

He slapped her again and went back to sucking on her skin.

During that time, I threw the rock at the guy recording what was going on. He fell to the ground unconscious, gaining me a couple seconds. I left my cover, ran towards Kimmy and hit the guy on top of her with a stone that was hard enough to make him let go of her.

She took a breath in, her face full of relief, then she noticed me, her eyes wide, full of fear, and yelled out, "Jack!"

I turned and leaned back as one of the guys threw a punch. On one hand, his punch was sloppy, and he smelled of alcohol, but in the other hand, he seemed like the kind to work out often and he was a big guy, so I couldn't exactly underestimate him.

I grabbed his hand and said, "You shouldn't have done that."

After that, everything around me seemed as if it were screaming 'chaos.' I tried to keep an eye on Kim, but the guy I was fighting with was a handful. In the end, he seemed to have gotten tired out, giving me the opportunity to finish him.

I made sure he was too out of it to attack me from behind before I turned to Kim.

Even after her bad experience with these guys, she wasn't afraid of defending herself and throwing a couple punches and kicks when the other guy made a move to attack—in fact, _she _attacked _him_, and the thing is that she'd _won_. I was so proud of her for standing up for herself, and for being that strong girl I knew was in there somewhere.

When she turned to me, I saw that her eyes were full of tears and that if I didn't get to her soon enough, she'd probably fall onto her knees.

I moved to her side instantly. She whispered my name and jumped into my arms-literally. I held on to her tightly as she wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my torso. I swayed slightly, but held on to my ground.

I breathed in her sweet smell as she shivered. Only then did I remember that the only thing that she was wearing from the waist up was a measly bra.

I glanced at the ground and saw that her tank top had been ripped to pieces.

I looked down at my arm and remembered the fact that I'd forgotten to put on my jacket before I left home.

"Kim, I need you to let me go for a-"

She whispered, "No. Jack, I'm _so _sorry. Forgive me. _Please_."

"I don't know what or why you're apologizing for, but of course I forgive you. I just need you to let go of me for a second so that you don't catch a cold."

She shook her head, buried her face in my neck and whispered, "I don't care about that. If I let you go, I'm afraid you'll dissapear. It's too good to be true. Don't make me let go of you please-unless you don't want me. I-I-"

"That's not why I'm telling you-" I stopped myself, knowing that I wouldn't be able to change her mind.

I held Kim on one hand and took my shirt off with my other hand. It was difficult, but I managed to get it done.

"Kimmy," I said softly, "just put my shirt on. I know that what just happened is very traumatic, but you're going to get sick."

She pulled back and looked at me with sad brown eyes full of tears that made me unbelievably sad. Her face and neck were both...I couldn't even think of it, because if I did, I'd kill the guy who did it to her, and right now I had to concentrate on _her_. I had to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry, Jack," she whispered and grabbed the shirt from my hand, swiftly putting it over the upper half of her body.

She buried her face in my neck and sobbed into my shoulder.

"Shh, shh," I said and rubbed her back for comfort.

I was trying to calm her down, but at the same time be aware of my surroundings, so that nobody could surprise me. I grabbed Kim's backpack from a bench and swung it over my shoulder. I looked back at where the men that had been abusing Kim were. They were still knocked out. I relaxed a little when I heard sirens coming our way.

Cody ran our way shouting something I couldn't understand.

I jogged and met him halfway.

"The cops are on their way and Aunt Jen is on her way here. Let's go meet her at the nearest corner."

"Cody, can you grab Kim's backpack? It's kind of slowing me down."

"Yeah," he said and I threw him her backpack.

"Ready to go? The cops are going to get here and I don't think _she's _up for an interview. I think we should take her to the hospital to get her checked out."

"Agreed," I said. "Let's go."

As we ran away from the soon-to-be crime scene, I heard Kim whisper something that sounded a lot like, "Love you."

I smiled, though I probably misunderstood what she said, and pumped my legs faster.

XxX

I jumped into the car and realized that Kim had either passed out or fallen asleep. I touched the side of her neck to make sure she was alright and brushed a hickey by mistake.

"Mom, drive to the hospital as fast as you can. Grampa, can you hand me the First Aid kit? Cody, grab Kim's legs and help me stretch her body out so that she's more comfortable. Make sure you are _very_ careful and you don't touch her in any way where she would feel threatened by you."

"What happened?" Mom asked. "And why are you shirtless?"

I looked down at Kim, and made sure she really wasn't awake. I brushed the hair out of her face and softly touched the bruise that was forming on her cheek. I looked away and tried to get the words out of my mouth.

Grandpa handed me the First Aid kit and glanced at Kim pitifully.

"Jack?" he said. "Jennifer asked you a question."

I let out the breath I was holding before I started talking. As I talked, I tried fixing up Kim's face as much as I could, try to stop the swelling.

"Apperantly, Kim's brother talked to his friends about...how she...was in bed and one of them wanted to..." I swallowed the embarrassment I felt. "One of the bastards was about to _violate _her. As if the fact that she's-" I stopped talking. "Luckily, I got to her before the act happened for _once_. I'm so glad I did, but I wish she wouldn't have run out in the first place. Just look at her, she's in a worst state than she was when she left the house."

"Jack, calm down, man, she's going to be fine," Cody said. "Look at the good stuff that comes with getting there on time. We got to her before there was any _actual _damage done. Sure, she got a little beat up, but at least she's okay. That's all that matters right now."

I nodded, thought about what my cousin said and kept quiet for the rest of the car ride to the hospital.

XxX

"Jack?" Kim whispered as I carefully took her out of the car. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around, probably wondering where we were.

"I'm right here, Kim," I said. "Mom and I are taking you to the hospital. We're actually going to enter the hospital in a couple minutes. Does anything hurt?"

Kim stayed quiet, making me feel worried.

"Kimmy, what hurts? _Please_ tell me."

She buried her face in my neck and started sobbing yet again.

It's not that I don't like Kim or anything, but I seriously hated that at the moment she wasn't talking to me and was sobbing and crying instead. It made me feel useless and like I had no right to claim myself as her best friend.

I looked at my mom for help. She's a woman, Kim's a girl—makes total sense that she knows what's going on, right?

"Kim, sweetie, does anything hurt?" Mom asked Kim in that soft, comforting, motherly voice of hers as we entered the hospital doors.

A wave of cold air hit us as we entered the hospital and Kim cowered even more into my arms.

I really wish that I'd worn a jacket…

"I'm…I'm so-sorry, Jack," Kim stuttered out and continued sobbing.

Mom gave me a questioning.

"She's been apologizing to me since I got to her. I don't know what she's apologizing for, though."

We got to the front desk, but we're not noticed for a while. I wanted to snap at the woman behind the desk. Was she oblivious to Kim's state?

The woman glanced at Kimmy in my arms and back up at me.

"What can I help you with?"

I looked back down at Kim as to make it obvious and send her a message.

"My friend was attacked and almost had a repeat of abuse," I said as calmly as could manage. "She's also four months pregnant and I want to make sure she's alright."

"What form of abuse? Does she have any _grave_ injuries? What's her name?"

"Her name's Kim Crawford and no, I don't think she has any grave injuries, but she was hit a couple times, and I repeat, she's _pregnant_. Also if you can't _see_ it, she's obviously in distress," I ended up sounding mean, but the secretary or whatever she was, was being rude and snippy in the first place, and I really didn't feel like dealing with more unnecessary comments for the night.

XxX

After I got Kim to calm down a little, we got her to do all the tests that she needed to have done.

I pulled her doctor aside, explained Kim's situation to her, and asked her if she could do some additional tests that would check if Kim's twins would have any health issues due to the fact that Kim and the father of her children were related. That would take extra time, and obviously money, but better safe than sorry. And, her family, who isn't really poor, is the one paying for it. It's her parents and brother's faults that she's ended up in this situation, so why not make them pay for it?

In the end, all I really want is what's best for my Kim, and if that takes extra attention from the hospital staff, then that's what she'll get. Kim doesn't deserve to be here, in a hospital, but since she's here anyways, I'll make sure the doctors make sure that not one single hair is out of place.

XxX

**That did NOT go as I expected, but whatever. I hope that calmed down some of the jitters that were going on with the readers, haha. Anyhow, next chapter _certain_ people will show up, an apology or two will be made, and there will be more Kick-I'm very excited about that. I hope you the enjoyed drama in this chapter and don't start hating on me because there wasn't much Kick in this chapter.**

**I might or might not decide on giving people sneak peeks, buttttt…**

**REVIEWS = A _POSSIBLE _sneak peek and a FASTER UPDATE.**

**REVIEW!**

**emeralgreenlove.**

**P.S. If you read any of my other Kickin' It stories, I will be updating those soon, but just give me a little more time please? I'm really concentrating on getting rid of all the Broken Down fever I have.**


	11. Hospital Stay Part 1

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Eleven: Hospital Stay Part 1

XxX

_After I got Kim to calm down a little, we got her to do all the tests that she needed to have done._

_I pulled her doctor aside, explained Kim's situation to her, and asked her if she could do some additional tests that would check if Kim's twins would have any health issues due to the fact that Kim and the father of her children were related. That would take extra time, and obviously money, but better safe than sorry. And, her family, who isn't really poor, is the one paying for it. It's her parents and brother's faults that she's ended up in this situation, so why not make them pay for it?_

_In the end, all I really want is what's best for my Kim, and if that takes extra attention from the hospital staff, then that's what she'll get. Kim doesn't deserve to be here, in a hospital, but since she's here anyways, I'll make sure the doctors make sure that not one single hair is out of place._

XxX

JACK

I woke up when somebody came into my room, letting the door slam loudly against the threshold.

I jerked up and instantly noticed that I wasn't in my bed, but in a hard, white chair, and instead of being in my bedroom, I was in Kim's hospital room.

A nurse hovered over Kim's body and checked on the machines connected to her.

She glanced at me for a second before she moved on and left.

I stared at Kim's face for a few minutes as everything that had happened sunk in. The anger came back, but it didn't hit me with the same force it had hit me with the first time around. Now that I was somewhat rested and my head felt a little clearer, everything made a little more sense than it had before.

I grabbed Kim's hand from where it was, intertwined her fingers with mine and looked up at the ceiling, lost as to what I was supposed to do.

Had the men who were about to rape Kim been arrested? What had they gone through? Had they been able to escape or wiggle their way out of jail? Hopefully, they had been given at least a fine and a couple months in jail. If it had been up to me, anyone who hurt my loved ones would go to jail for a couple good years, meaning that they would probably get out when death was knocking on their door or not even getting out of jail in time to do that, but, heck, the law doesn't think the way I do.

Kim's hand twitched, which made me stop worrying about what I shouldn't and look at her.

She blinked a few times and looked around the hospital room, her eyes finally landing on me after what felt like an eternity.

"How are you feeling, little Ms. Princess?" I asked Kim and smiled slightly, hopefully distracting her from the fact that she was in a hospital and from remembering _why _she was here.

She smiled up sweetly at me. A second later it was gone. The expression I loved seeing on Kim's face, happiness and joy, was replaced by gloominess. It was like seeing a sun being covered up by a dark cloud. She took in a breath in deeply and closed her eyes.

"I'm feeling like I know a princess would never _ever _feel," she whispered so low I had to strain an ear to listen. She turned her face away and continued. "As low as the ground itself or even lower. Everything hurts, and instead of feeling the love I know I'm supposed to feel for these twins, right now all I feel for them is hate. I _despise _them, yet I don't want to kill them or give them away to someone else. I just wish they'd never even been conceived. I know I'm going to regret saying this when this feeling goes away. I know it, and I know that they don't deserve someone like me, _you _don't deserve someone like me, but I just can't help but be selfish. I know I'm dirty and stained. Why do you keep hanging out with me? Why did you let me into your home in the first place? At the beginning, when you didn't know, I understood, but now...now that you know...now that you know what I've been through, why do you keep it up? Why are you even my friend, Jack? I'm sorry."

"Because I-" I started saying, then a nurse burst into the room.

I turned to her, mad that I had the perfect thing to say to Kim in my head, and this woman just burst in and it's all gone.

"Do you mind?" I said.

"But I have to-"

"Can you please come back later? This is important."

"So is this."

"Is it a life or death situation?"

She shook her head.

"Then please leave and come back in a while. I'm sorry if I sound rude, but Kim and I had a bad night and we just need to talk some things out."

The nurse nodded and left.

"Kimmy, can I sit next to you?"

After a while, she nodded.

I climbed on to the bed and laid down. I hugged her from behind and put my chin on top of her shoulder

"You know why I l-" I stopped myself before I told her something she wasn't ready to hear, "you're still my best friend? Because you're awesome. Just because you've had I don't know how many bad experiences doesn't make you a different person. You're that same girl, and you are _not _dirty. It's not your fault you're _irresistible_," I said, hoping to get a laugh out of her. I only got the hint of a smile though. "You're not bad, Kimmy. You're _good_. And when we discovered you were pregnant, I though you would want to get rid of them. That's what _I _would have done, but no, you want to keep them and give them the best life you can. You talk about them in your sleep, Kim. What you're doing is _not _selfish.

"It's okay to feel the way you do, but just keep in mind that throughout your pregnancy you have been under a lot of stress and pressure, and the doctor told me that if it keeps increasing, then you might loose them. Kimmy, I know you love them and you don't want to loose them. Please think of it. All this stress that's going on in your life isn't good for you. Promise me that you'll do what's best for _you _and not run away from the people that love you and care about you. I don't want you to hurt yourself or something, and I don't want anybody else to make your life more complicated. Don't you get that?" I asked, and cursed mentally when I heard my voice crack.

"No, I...I didn't know what to do, Jack. You've helped me all this time and all I've done is get you into trouble. It's not fair for you. Jack, I really appreciate everything you've done for me and you probably will never even know how grateful I am, but I just don't have anything to pay you back with and I feel awful. I'm sorry about last night. I should have been more patient with Cody. That would have probably caused less problems."

"Is that what you were apologizing for last night?" I asked quietly.

She nodded.

I got up and walked around the bed to see Kim's face. It was full of guilt, her eyes still closed.

"I don't blame you, Kim. Remember what I told you? The people I care about I don't want to get hurt, and if Cody was making you feel uncomfortable, then it was _his _fault. I want you to know that no matter what you do, I will _always _have your back. You're my best friend. It's what I'm for."

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"Everything hurts."

"Do you want me to call a nurse? What exactly hurts?"

"My neck and face."

"I'm going to get a nurse," I said and turned, but Kim grabbed my arm before I could get too far.

"No," she said. "Don't go. Please."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Well, if you don't want me to get the nurse, I'll have to fix you up myself."

"What? What do you mean?"

"You trust me?" Another nod. "Well, sit up."

When she did, I attacked her face and neck with light kisses.

"Do you feel better now?" I asked her, rested my chin on her shoulder and gave her cheek a butterfly kiss. I wish I could do this and so much more a lot more often.

XxX

**I know this is _not _what I promised, but in the next chapter we will see some special people *hint hint.* Anyhow, tomorrow I start high school and wanted to post something by then. Sorry that last time I didn't give you guys any trailers. This time, I will though, since I won't post for a while.**

**If you review and I can reach you by PM, then I will reveal to you who this certain people are and give you a trailer for sure ;).**

**REVIEWS=SNEAK PEEKS & *POSSIBLE* FASTER UPDATES.**

**REVIEW!**

**XOXO,**

**emeralgreenlove.**


	12. Hospital Stay Part 2

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Twelve: Hospital Stay Part 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own in any shape or form "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber or anything else that has a recognizable owner.

**NOTE: There is a lot of hurt/comfort in this chapter, but there is also a lot of Kick fluff, so hold on to your seats. This chapter is really long and I've been working on it for like six weeks, so I'd really appreciate if you reviewed. Enjoy the ride! =).**

XxX

_"Jack?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Everything hurts."_

_"Do you want me to call a nurse? What exactly hurts?"_

_"My neck and face."_

_"I'm going to get a nurse," I said and turned, but Kim grabbed my arm before I could get too far._

_"No," she said. "Don't go. Please."_

_"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Well, if you don't want me to get the nurse, I'll have to fix you up myself."_

_"What? What do you mean?"_

_"You trust me?" Another nod. "Well, sit up."_

_When she did, I attacked her face and neck with light kisses._

_"Do you feel better now?" I asked her, rested my chin on her shoulder and gave her cheek a butterfly kiss. I wish I could do this and so much more a lot more often._

XxX

KIM

I turned around and wrapped my arms around Jack's torso. I put my head on his shoulder and sighed. The hickeys on my neck and my swollen cheek had really been bothering me, and then he comes along and everything's better. That's just the kind of guy he is.

"Thank you, Jack," I said as Jack held me tightly. "And I really mean it. If it wasn't for you, those guys would have gotten away with hurting me, and I feel better already."

"So I take it my remedy worked?" he asked in an amusing tone.

I laughed, but tried to cover it up by hiding my face in his shoulder.

I smirked to myself and said, "Maybe it did. Maybe it didn't."

"Oh, really? Is that so?"

"Ummhmm."

He pulled my face away from his chest so that he could see my face, and gave my cheek a big kiss, which made me blush deeply.

I was going to say something, but the door opened.

I rotated my torso, still in Jack's arms to see Cody standing there with an expression on his features that I couldn't quite decipher.

"Ah, I see you guys are busy, so, I'm just going to leave."

He was about to leave, but I spoke up.

"It's okay, Cody," I said. "What did you come here for anyways?"

"I-Okay, I came to apologize to you, and since Jack's here, I want to apologize to him too. I know I stepped out of line yesterday and it's my fault you got into...trouble. I'm sorry. I never meant to go that far, man."

I nodded and assumed Jack forgave him too because he got closer and opened his arms for a hug. I raised an eyebrow at him as Jack let me go.

"Wha'da you say?" Cody said. "Brand new start?"

I nodded and hugged him. His hug was pretty welcoming and warm, but the fact that he was sniffing my hair made things awkward and weird even.

"Cody?" I asked, seeing as it lasted longer than a normal hug would take. "Codyyyyyy?"

"Cody!" Jack yelled behind me.

Cody released me and shook his head.

"Sorry. I think I spaced out," he said.

After that, Cody and Jack shook hands and shared a bro hug, which I found pretty funny since Jack had a weird expression on his face.

Cody turned to leave, and when he got to the door, he looked back, his eyes lingering on my stomach for a minute.

When he was out, I turned to Jack and asked, "Is my stomach really _that _much bigger?"

"I, uh, you're not fat, you're just, well, you _are _pregnant with twins. Two. That ought to take more space, especially when you're half-way through the process."

I laughed at his stutter and nervousness, and said, "True. True"

A minute later my doctor came in to run some exams on me.

XxX

Jack and I were talking when his mom entered my room.

"Jack, do you think you could let me talk to Kim alone?"

"Yeah, Mom."

He got up from the bed and walked away.

When the door was about to close I yelled, "Are you gonna come back?"

He yelled over his shoulder, "As long as you stay Kim-beautiful."

I knit my eyebrows in confusion, blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I wonder if I misheard him, or Jack just changed his mind about what be was going to say.

"Kim, how're you doing?" Jennifer asked me and sat down in the bed in front of me.

"Good, I guess. I don't know why I'm still here though."

"Jack asked your doctor to run a couple extra tests on you to make sure you were okay."

"Is that what's taking so long?"

"Yeah. Look, I was really worried about you yesterday and took the liberty to call your parents," I tensed up, but relaxed when she continued, "but neither of them answered. I don't know what's going on inside you. I don't know what you're feeling or thinking, but if you need to talk to somebody, I'm here for you. I realize I haven't quite...shown you or communicated to you what I think about you. I think you're an amazing, strong, beautiful young woman. I don't think I would have been able to go on living like you have. At first, I admit that I was a little reluctant to letting you stay at my home because I thought that you were going to be a bad influence on my family. Jack has told me a lot about you and one of the things I picked up on was that you were popular and a cheerleader. I thought that-"

"-that I was one of the brainless blonde cheerleaders?" I asked, giggling afterwards.

"Not...brainless. I thought that it'd gone to your head. Remember I saw you on TV? You seemed snotty. Living with you under my roof I've seen that you're not that sort of person. You're good for my son, and I like that about you, Kim. You make him smile even when you're not there. Having you at home has only made him happier, and as a mother, that's all you can ask for your child. To have him be happy no matter what. All I'm asking for you to do in return is to not hurt him."

"I don't plan on hurting him any time soon, but what if comes down to me having to hurt him in order to keep him safe? He got in a fight with his cousin over _me_. How is that right? I don't want him to risk anything for me. Not his family, not his friends, not anything. Him and your family have already done a lot for me, and I don't want to...to make him choose or something. What then?"

Before Jennifer could answer, the door burst open, making my heart go wild with adrenaline for a second.

"Somebody came to see you," Cody said as he walked through the door of my hospital room.

"Who?" I asked

Seriously, besides Jack and his family nobody else knew I was here. Could it have been that my brother had somehow found out? Was it his friends?

Cody shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know. Just some guys. "

He left the room as somebody else came through the door and said, "Wow, Kim, I didn't think the next time I got to see you you'd be in a hospital bed, and in such a state."

My eyes went wide and I covered my stomach with a blanket as the guys came through the door.

I was speechless. My heart was pounding away like crazy and it felt like it was climbing up to my throat.

Rudy came into the room followed by the rest of the Wasabi team.

"Well, I'm going to let you talk calmly with your friends," Jennifer said and patted my knee. "Just remember that if that does happen, come talk to me. Or an adult. And if you don't feel like doing that, then just tell him the truth, okay? Honesty is always the best way to go, even when...even when it'll hurt someone's feelings. Just tell him the truth."

I nodded and watched her leave. Every step closer to the door that she took, the more I wanted to scream out for her to stay, to not leave me alone with this people who now felt like distant family members to me instead of like the brothers I thought of them as. Every step closer she took towards the door, the more my heart accelerated.

When the door clattered behind her loudly, I felt my heart jump to my throat.

There was an awkward silence that surrounded us. I draped my blanket tighter around my middle, trying to hide my baby bump (or was it _babies _bump?).

"Okay," Eddie said in a soft, but serious tone, "I know it's been a while since we all saw you, Kim, but it doesn't have to be awkward. We just wanted to make sure you were alright. Are you?"

"Well, I, uh, I really do miss you guys being around. The reason I'm here isn't really pretty, and I understand if you want to...to never speak to me or have contact with me again. Guys, I have to tell you the truth, and even if you decide that you don't want to stand by my side, just know that you'll always be my friends and family. The truth is," I casted my eyes downward, trying to relive the pressure of the moment, "the truth is that I'm p-"

I looked up when the door was thrown open so hard I thought it might fly off its hinges.

Jack put something down that I couldn't see, then came into my room and looked around, then landed on me.

He said, "Geesh, I'm gone for a little while and you throw a party."

My mouth opened involuntarily, but nothing came out of it.

"So? Wat'cha up to?" Jack asked.

"Kim was about to tell us something, weren't you, Kim?" Rudy said.

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah?" I replied, unsure. "I..." I couldn't seem to get the words out.

I swallowed and said, "Jack, can you tell them for me please?"

I put my legs up to my chest and hugged them to me as much as I could with my four-month-old bump. I tried to get more comfortable, but I couldn't since my knees were blocked by my baby bump. That's one of the many things I'm starting to hate about being pregnant. I'm becoming bigger and bigger every day and soon enough it's going to look like I stuffed a giant basketball beneath my shirt.

Jack put his hand on my shoulder before he started to talk.

"Kim, do you want me to tell them everything?" he asked me.

I pursed my lips and shook my head, then whispered, "Not in detail."

"Okay, well, for a long time now Kim's been having...issues. Before I go on, I want you to listen to _everything _I have to say before you go on and judge Kim. It's not her fault she's here and she needs our _complete _support. If at one time or another you decide it's too much for you, then all I could ask of you is that this stays between us."

Everyone's eyes where on me and they were silently asking me if I was okay.

I put my head on top of my knees and shut my eyes tightly as my breath starts coming out in short breaths. Jack rubbed my back and starts talking again.

"Kim's parents seem to never be around, and her brother's her legal guardian, buttttt... he doesn't take care of her like he should. Certain things happened in which Kimmy's well-being was endangered and we decided that it would be better for her if she moved. I don't know how to say this, but...Kim's pregnant."

Someone must have looked at him funny or something because he said, "And FYI, guys, I didn't get her pregnant."

I blushed like crazy even though nobody could see it.

There was a period of silence long enough for all the blood in my cheeks to leave my face and a while longer.

I raised my head right back up and looked at the faces of my friends.

They were definitely thinking through what I had just said and they didn't have any shows of disgust on their faces. Hopefully their opinion about me wouldn't change _that _much. I didn't want them to think I was weak, helpless and slutty-that would just break my heart.

"Kim," Rudy finally said, "friends built each other up, they don't tear each other down. I've said it before and I _mean _it. We'll always support each other. Right, guys?"

The boys all replied with different forms of agreement.

I smiled at them and was engulfed in a group hug.

Once we stopped hugging I looked away and wiped away the tears that had forced the way out of my eyes.

"So?" Milton said.

"So," Jerry said.

"Is anybody gonna say more than 'so'?" I asked them, then laughed at how weird my voice sounded.

"What's the baby's gender?" Milton asked.

"Well, you see..." I glanced at Jack, then continued, having found the strength in him that I needed to finish. "You see, there are actually _two _babies instead of one."

There were various reactions from the guys. Some gasps were heard and questions were thrown my way.

"What do you mean _two_?" Rudy asked.

"I mean," I said, "I'm going to have twins. I know most of the things you'll probably ask me, so I'm just going to answer them all at once. I'm still not sure if I'm going to give them up or not...it all depends on the fact of when my parents turn up and their reaction to it. Hopefully, I'll be able to do what's right. Their father is not up for discussion. The only thing you need to know is that you don't know him, so you don't have to worry about that...Um, I don't know their genders yet. I-I don't think I want to find out until they're born...I like surprises. Anyhow, do you have anything else you want me to answer?"

"Kim, two babies is a lot of work for just you," Rudy said. "Is the father going to help?" I shook my head, scared of even the thought of telling Aaron. "Maybe he could, you know, help you out, so that you can have a little time for yourself once in a while?"

I shook my head.

"I didn't tell their father I was pregnant. I don't want him to find out-"

"Kim, he might want to take care of you alongside your kids."

I saw Jack shake his head out of the corner of my eye. I glanced at him.

He was the only one standing beside me aside from Rudy since Jerry, Eddie and Milton were sitting down in the couches on the corner of the room.

"That's not possible," I said.

Rudy was about to say something when Jack interrupted him. He had been quiet for a while.

"_Rudy_, please listen to what we have to say. The guy you're telling Kim to go find will hurt her. He already has. He's a jerk that deserves nothing short of death-"

"_Jack_," I said.

He looked at me and continued.

"Let me finish, Kim. He deserves nothing short of death in jail."

I nodded.

I continued with what he was saying.

"If their father found out about them he would want to kill them," I said sadly. My eyes were full of tears I was trying to hold back.

I turned to Jack and buried my face in his chest as he held me. My life was so depressing at times.

Somebody came into my room and touched my shoulder, that person's hand freezing cold.

I lifted my head from Jack's chest after I composed myself.

"Ms. Crawford," the nurse said, "we need you to move to another room so that your doctor can run a scan on the fetuses."

"Can my friends come?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yes. If that's what you want."

"Yo, Kim, what if you gave birth to puppies?" Jerry said, laughing. "That'd be hilarious, yo!"

I narrowed my eyes at him and kept my face emotionless, then turned back to the nurse.

I shook my head and said, "Maybe not so. Maybe I'm better off going in by myself."

The nurse nodded and backed out of the room, bringing back with her a wheel chair.

I rolled my eyes and got ready to be treated like a sick baby. Sure, I was pregnant _with _babies and I had had an attempt of rape, but I didn't need a wheel chair for Pete's sake.

I threw the blanket off of me and made an attempt to stand up, but I was stopped by the pain in my back. I stopped and touched my back, as if it would make it go away. The truth was that it hurt much more than I was letting on. I could still feel the rocks and the bare ground that dug itself into my back. Behind my lids I saw what had happened to me last night and what could have happened if Jack hadn't shown up.

I sucked in a deep breath and stopped straining myself.

"Are you okay?" the nurse asked. "I could get somebody to come help you if you want."

I opened my mouth, but nothing actually came out of it.

"You know what?" Jack said, addressing the nurse. "I'll do it, if that's alright with you."

The nurse nodded and brought the wheel chair closer to my hospital bed.

Jack turned to me and silently asked me if it was okay for him to get me into the wheel chair. I nodded. He put an arm beneath my arm pits and one under my knees, then lifted me up as if I were weightless. When I was in the wheel chair he whispered, "Are you okay?"

I nodded again, unable to say anything because my back still hurt.

Jack turned towards the guys and said, "Jerry, don't push it."

"But…" Jerry said, "she just got so bi-"

"Shut up, Jerry," Milton said.

I turned and glared at Jerry, then said, "Thanks, Milton."

He nodded and I was taken out of my hospital room, on my way to yet another one. Great life to have, eh?

XxX

JACK

Rudy and I waited for Kim outside of the ultrasound room she was in.

"Soooooo," Rudy said.

"So?" I said.

"Kim's, uh, looking different."

"Yep," I replied calmly.

"Okay, Jack, I know there's something you're not telling me, so just come out with it will you?" Rudy said, yelling out the last part.

I looked at him weirdly and raised an eyebrow.

"Rudy, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. I just can't take not knowing something, okay?"

"Rudy, stop shouting, okay?"

"I will if you tell me what's going on. I'm freaking out here, Jack, just tell me."

"What do you want me to tell you exactly?" I asked, confused.

"What's going on with Kim? What is she not telling me?"

I stared at him, analyzing what he was saying.

Finally, I said, "It's not my place to tell you what you want to hear."

For the next couple minutes Rudy bothered me until I cracked.

"Okay, you know what? I'll tell you the same thing we said before," I said, dropping my voice down to a whisper. "Kim's been having a really hard time because her brother hits her and he's the one responsible for her pregnancy, okay? She wakes up screaming at night, terrified of what he might do to her and what he's already done to her. She's scared senseless and she has a mix of emotions going on inside her, and she doesn't need you or anybody else to make her feel any more confused than she already is, you hear me? You're my sensei and I trust you. Don't let Kim know what I've told you, 'kay, Rudy? Don't hint at what you know that she doesn't know you know, and don't tell anyone. Got it?"

"You mean her brother…?" Rudy trailed off, looking slightly sick.

I nodded.

"Yeah, her brother…her brother's the one that got her pregnant," I said, feeling like I was betraying Kim's trust yet again.

Rudy turned and jogged to the nearest trash can, where he threw up.

I shut my eyes and hoped that Kim would just tell everyone at one point what had really happened, or that Rudy really kept everything inside and didn't say a word about what we talked about.

After a little while, Rudy came back, his face full of sweat, or water-I didn't know which. Right after, the door I was leaning on opened, startling me.

Kim came out, smiling. She was still on the wheel chair and was being wheeled out by her nurse.

Rudy and I followed them back to Kim's previous room. Before we got in, I made sure to whisper to Rudy, "Let's keep what I said between us, 'kay? Don't mention anything else to be about Kim's pregnancy or anything. I don't want Kim to worry. I'm dead serious, Rudy."

He nodded and said, "You got it, Jack."

I smiled and went inside Kim's hospital room, seeing the basket I'd purchased covered my black leather jacket.

XxX

KIM

After hours of tests and not-so-good hospital food, I was free to go home. I was happy about that, yet disturbed. In a hospital, you knew exactly what to expect, even if you didn't like it, but going back to Jack's home meant that I was going to go back to being on my own, not knowing where the heck my life was headed.

"Kim?" Jack asked as he stuck his head into my hospital bedroom. "Are you okay? Do you need any help?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I said and zipped up my sweater. Jack's mother had gone back home and gotten me clothes.

"Oh! I almost forgot to give you something," Jack said in an excited tone.

I looked at him curiously.

"What? You forgot to give me something?" I asked quietly, dumbfounded.

I searched my mind, trying to figure out what he might mean.

"Yep," he said and took his leather jacket off of something, then picked it up.

Once I was able to see it, I saw that it was mostly covered by colorful wrapping. What he was holding was a small basket. He handed it to me and touched the back of his neck.

"I was going to give it to you earlier, so that it cheered you up, but then the guys came in and the plan got screwed up."

I smiled at him, touched by his gesture.

"Thank you so much, Jack." I laughed and said, "I think you spend more time on getting gifts for your friends than in getting stuff for yourself."

Jack looked away, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong.

Moments later he was snapped out of his trance and smirked before he looked at me again and motioned to the wheel chair in the entrance of the room.

"Come on, Miss. Kimmy Kimberly Crawford; are you ready to go home?"

I giggled and reluctantly made my way over to the wheel chair and sat down. I wasn't fond of the thing-it made me feel useless.

"Ready, Jack."

He picked up the backpack I'd forgotten on the bed and made his way behind me, where he wheeled me out of the room.

The chair stopped for a second and Jack leaned down and whispered near my ear, "You can open it, you know."

I felt a shiver go through me and I smiled as he led me down the hall. I carefully, but quickly opened the package, tearing off the wrapper in the process.

I peeked inside and saw something I didn't expect: a cute, light brown teddy bear.

He was the size of a two-year-old child and was wearing a hoody that was purple and white yoga pants. Beside him was a box full of chocolate.

A loud sound escaped my lips and the few people that were in the hallway looked at me with that 'shut it' look on their faces.

Once we were out of the area and on the elevator down, Jack said, "From that, I take it you really hated it or really loved it."

I smiled and said, "Neither. I loved it too much to put words on it. I really really really REALLY loved it. I think it's the best gift ever. Thank you, Jack."

I tried to give him a one-armed hug, but in the end, he just wrapped his arms around my neck from behind, like one of those stuffed monkeys you win at a carnival.

Yeah...maybe the wheel chair wasn't really necessary, but heck, if it meant Jack would hug me from more often behind, then I'm all in.

"There's one more thing," Jack said.

"What is it?" I asked excitedly.

"Well, you can see it when we get home or in the car. You'll make too much of a mess if you take it out of the, uh, thingy."

"What thingy? The basket?"

"Yep. Underneath the hoody."

I wanted to start jumping up and down out of happiness-you know, if I still could with a growing baby bump.

XxX

Five minutes later we were in front of Jennifer's mini van. I was being carried bridal style by Jack. It was kind of awkward for me since he'd never carrier me when I was feeling perfectly fine and capable of walking.

"Jack, you know I'm perfectly able to walk," I said, though he already knew that.

"Oh, I know, Kim. Trust me, I know."

He opened the back door and sat me down on the empty seat. On the other side of me was Cody and Jaymee was in between us.

I chatted with Jaymee about light, childish things, then remembered that Jack had said there was something more to the bear.

I took him out of the basket with difficulty, then brushed off the little colored papers off of his fur.

I slowly raise up the hoodie up his body slowly, gasping when I saw what was beneath the hoodie. I completely took off his hoodie and smiled widely when I saw his outfit. He was wearing a cute little gi.

"This is so awesome, Jack. I love it."

"I thought you would. I mean, we all do karate."

I smiled widely then looked back down at the bear and hugged him to me. He was so perfect and soft-you just couldn't help but do so.

XxX

JACK

A week or two passed by since Kim's almost-rape and she seemed to go back to being pretty much her normal self most of the time. Sometimes she would just stare off into space, deep in though, or there would be a moment in the day in which she just looked incredibly sad, and all I wanted to do was hold her closer and tell her it was okay, but I held off.

She still had nightmares, though they seemed to be decreasing. She still came to me for comfort at night, either going to my room or calling out for me in her sleep. As horrible as it seemed to be to like the fact that she had nightmares, I secretly loved that she always seemed to end up in my arms. I didn't like that she was tormented in her sleeping hours-I wish I had the power to make it go away, but I would never ever wish for the closeness that I now had with Kim to go away. It was one of the main things I loved the most about being alive.

She was my baby girl, and I wish that I could claim her as mine, yet she didn't make a move and I wasn't going to force myself on her. The one time I'd called her that had been a slip-up as I was half-asleep. Thankfully, she hadn't brought it up in our conversations. Kim had probably forgotten about it.

XxX

I opened the door and slumped against it, tired. I headed toward the kitchen, where I was going to put down the grocery bags, when I heard the music and _her _voice singing along with it. I peered into the kitchen, then when I saw that she had her back to me, chopping things next to the stove.

She was cooking dinner. Wow. I didn't know she could cook.

The song changed and she put the volume up, moving her hips along to the rhythm of the song while she made dinner.

_"If I was your boyfriend I'd never let you go_

_I could take you places you ain't ever been before_

_Baby take a chance or you'll never ever know_

_I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow_

_Swag, swag, swag on you_

_Chillin' by the fire while we eatin' fondue_

_I don't know about me, but I know about you_

_So say hello to falsetto in three, two, swag..."_

I grinned as her tank top rose up, showing white flesh. She was wearing jean short shorts, a hot pink tank top and a jeans vest.

I felt like I was under her spell. Everywhere she moved, everywhere she went, my eyes followed her, knowing it was wrong to watch her, but unable to stop doing so. She was just so sexy, especially the way she seemed to still be so innocent and pure after all that had happened to her, unaware that I was looking at her. And her voice-well, her voice was just so sweet and smooth that it felt like no matter what she sung it could never sound bad or dirty just because it was coming out of _her _mouth.

My grandfather stood beside me, mirroring my pose-upper body leaning on the entrance to the kitchen, arms crossed over my chest-and said, "You sure do love her, don't you? She's beautiful."

I didn't tear my eyes away from her, still smiling from ear to ear and said, "Yes."

A moment later, what had just happened sunk in.

I shook my head and tore my eyes away from Kim and stammered out, "I, uh, what? _No_. She's my best friend. Yeah, just...no."

I looked away, embarrassed. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole just so I wouldn't have to go through this. The pains of being a teenager.

"You know, Jack-" my grandfather was interrupted by Kim.

"I know I'm making dinner and everything tonight," Kim said, "but can one of you help me? I'm getting overwhelmed by it."

I raised my hand slowly as my grandfather continued to stare at me meaningfully.

"I will, ma'am," I said in a respectful-sounding way.

She giggled and waved me to come over, then greeted my grandfather, calling him "Mr. Jackson," which just felt so weird. I hadn't really heard anybody call him that before. Usually they call him by his last name.

Kim showed me what she needed help with, then continued singing, but softly this time. My mother and sister came along and completed the task of putting groceries away.

"..._If was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go _

_Keep you on my arm girl you'd never be alone _

_I can be a gentleman, anything you want_

_If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go, never let you go..."_

"Why are you listening to Ricky Weaver?" I asked when the song was over and another one started.

"'Cuz," she said, "while he may be an ass, I still like some of his particular songs."

Kim then continued singing in a calm manner and making dinner.

I stopped for a second what I was doing, and stared at her, a smile shaping my lips.

She's perfect.

XxX

My mother and I were walking down the stairs at midnight when I heard a sob.

I glanced at my mom to see if she had heard it too.

"Mom can you go get that snack you were talking about while I go check on Kim?"

She nodded and left me alone at the bottom of the staircase. My mom and I had been having one of those mother-son moments in which you talk things out and remember why your mom is and always will be the best.

I heard the sob again and headed to the living room, where the soft glow of an iPad was the only light illuminating the room.

On screen there were people in the distance, strangers to me. At first it was fuzzy, but then the camera adjusted on a younger version of Kim.

Kim was sitting on the couch, her back to me, facing the screen of her iPad. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and her body was shaking with each sob.

I watched the video from behind Kim quietly, hoping she wouldn't turn around and see me watching.

In the video, Kim and a guy with dirty blonde hair and fair skin were arguing about something that I couldn't quite make out. The guy was talking behind the camera for most of the time, but showed up on camera towards the end. They fought for a while, _back and forth, back and forth_, but at the end, Kim kissed the guy's cheek-my heart started to hurt-and he whined, "Ki-iiiiiiim! Now I can't put this online! I can't have my baby sis kissing me. It's...it's...it's embarrassing," the Kim on camera laughed and hugged the guy as the screen went black.

Kim touched her cheeks, wiping away years, I assume.

I was in shock. The guy I'd just seen on screen was probably Kim's brother. The very one who had _raped _her, made her pregnant and had the decency to put up missing person posters.

It couldn't be, but I knew it _had _to be, unless it was the wrong person. He'd looked around fifteen or sixteen, and even though it he seemed a bit mischievous, he looked _innocent_. He looked like any guy our age would. Though he seemed to care for his sister was brotherly love, not lust like I'd imagined.

When I was at the dojo and when I wanted to get my anger out, I tried to picture his face and beat him up countless times, over and over again. I imagined a guy that looked like one of those stupid wanna be bad boys with dark hair, black leather jackets and a look that said "I'm going to treat you like you're lower than me just so that I can feel like I have power and am better than you." In the end, though, I realized that what I'd been beating up hadn't been him, but a punching dummy or punching bag.

Once I composed myself and backed up a good distance away from her, I whispered, "Hey, Kimmy. You okay?"

She turned to me and turned off her iPad, leaving me us in almost darkness. She must have realized it because she turned it back on.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, as if she were dismissing me. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

I put everything inside my head aside and chuckled, then said, "Well, let's see, this _is _my house, so I guess I should be asking _you_ what you're doing down here."

When she looked away and didn't answer, I felt my (sort of) happy, cheerful vibe go away.

I sat down next to her and grabbed a hold of her hand. After a while of silence, I cleared my throat.

"I, er…do you miss your brother?" I asked her.

I swear, those words were absolutely _not _the ones I'd planned on letting out.

She looked at me in shock, opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. She squeezed my hand and looked away.

"I don't miss having him be drunk around me," she said softly, "but I do miss having him around. He might have been a pain the butt before, but he was my brother and I loved him just the way he was. He was _really_ fun to be around." She turned to face me and I noticed the small pout that was shaping her lips.

"Kim, would you like milk or something to help you sleep?" my mother said a few feet away from us.

Kim looked up and shook her head.

"No, thank you, Jennifer. Thanks, but no thanks."

"You sure? I know you don't get much sleep."

"I'm sure. Thank you, Jennifer. For everything, I mean."

My mom nodded and left, calling over her shoulder, "Jack, your cookies and milk are already out. Hurry up, tomorrow you have school."

Kim released my hand and pulled her legs up to her chest again, hiding her face in them. Something about it made me think she was being cold.

I kissed the top of her head and got up.

"Goodnight," I whispered. You know where I'll be if you need me."

XxX

KIM

It was dark. He pushed himself harder into me, the scene blinked out, and he was hitting me like he'd never had before—with brutal force. Before, he had done things with his hands, like bruising me just by touching me too _brusque__ly_on a spot, but in this dream he was hitting me with his belt and kicking me. It went back and forth between being brutally raped and being hit.

My eyes fluttered slowly before opening.

Somebody above me was shaking me by the shoulders. The room was dimly lit and all I could make out was that the person above me was a male. Aaron? Wasn't he tired of taking advantage of me? Of abusing his own little sister?

"Get away from me!" a girl's high voice said. I thought it was someone else, but a couple seconds later realized that it was my own. "Get off of me, Aaron! Please! I'll do anything," my voice became pleading. "Please, Aaron, please! No more! I'll be your slave and clean your room and do whatever you want me to do, just don't touch me! Don't touch me! Please! You've done enough!"

Somebody turned on the light and I realized that the person that was above me was Jack.

He let go of me and turned to his grandfather, who had a bow staff in his hand. He had his hand on the light switch. Jack looked back at me, and then walked over to his grandfather, who he talked to with ease.

I sat up and cried quietly. Something caught my eye and I glanced down at my iPad. Of course. That's why I was down here, in the living room and not in my room.

"…No, I didn't do anything to her…She only had a nightmare…" Jack said.

I only heard fragments and pieces of their conversation, but couldn't really piece much of what they were saying together.

The couch shifted beside me. I didn't move. I knew it was Jack.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Kim," he whispered sounding awkward.

I didn't look up from my hands. I was too embarrassed to.

"It's not your fault, Jack," I said.

"I know I messed up, Kim," he said. "How could I make it up to you?"

He was looking away and I took it as my chance to climb into his lap without having to make eye contact with him. I hesitated before burying my face into his neck and wrapping my arms around him. Jack froze for a minute, then wrapped his arms around me.

Damn, this boy's my angel, my hero, my best friend and pretty much everything in between.

I softly kissed the side of his neck that was nearest to me, and said, "Just be you, Jack. That's enough for me."

He brushed his fingers through my hair, which after a while, made me start to feel sleepy. I tried to fight it off, but I just couldn't. He was _Jack_ for heck's sake and he just had this calming effect on me.

"Just go to sleep, Kim," he whispered. "Do you want me to take you to your room or mine?"

I nodded as well as I could, which wasn't very nice to do since my head felt _so_ heavy.

Jack laughed (how did he have the strength to do that at this hour?) and asked me, "Mine or yours?"

"Yours," I said, but it ended it up sounding like 'yos.'

"'Kay. I just need you to do one more thing before you go to sleep." Pause. "Clench your legs around me when I get you up."

I almost woke up when I heard that, but didn't have time to because I was too busy clenching my legs around Jack's waist as he lifted me up.

XxX

**Hey!**

**This has been like my longest chapter ever at 7,000+, so I'm pretty happy. I think I balanced out the fluff and the hurt/comfort well, but what do _you_ think?**

**Just so you know, I will update _Baby Boy_ next, but I haven't started writing the next chapter yet. Anyhow, I have been pretty busy with school, so if I don't update as often as I used to, blame it on school (I attend school till 4, get home at 5 and on top of that I just tried out for the school play). Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed reading this because it's taken me FOREVER to write it.**

_**To my readers, but especially for my REVIEWERS:**_

_**~Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It means a lot to me that you have taken the time.**_

_**~Please write more than just "update please". It can be one line or two, but I'd like to see something like "I lik an _" or "I hat an _" (fill in the blanks).**_

**_~You will get an awesometastic sneak peek to the next chapter and if you like my story, _Baby Boy_, and you want a sneak peek for that too, let me know what your thoughts are!_**

_**~I didn't have time to edit the end of this, so if you find mistakes please tell me in a review!**_

**REVIEW!**

**XOXO,**

**~emeralgreenlove.**


	13. Meeting Carly Brewer, Kim's Plan, etc

Chapter Thirteen: Meeting Carly Brewer (Daughter Of Jack Brewer), Kim's Plan And The Unknown Tournament

**A/N: Hey, guys, just a heads up—the info I use to answer Kim and Jack's questions (you'll see) are from real life since they (Leo Howard and Olivia Holt) are both so similar to their characters, so yeah—if it seems a bit out of character for them just know the answers are from the actors rather than their characters.**

XxX

_"Just go to sleep, Kim," he whispered. "Do you want me to take you to your room or mine?"_

_I nodded as well as I could, which wasn't very nice to do since my head felt so heavy._

_Jack laughed (how did he have the strength to do that at this hour?) and asked me, "Mine or yours?"_

_"Yours," I said, but it ended it up sounding like 'yos.'_

_"'Kay. I just need you to do one more thing before you go to sleep." Pause. "Clench your legs around me when I get you up."_

_I almost woke up when I heard that, but didn't have time to because I was too busy clenching my legs around Jack's waist as he lifted me up._

XxX

**KIM**

I moved on to my side and came face to face with Jack. I swallowed hard and slowly sat up.

I blinked and noticed the numbers on the alarm clock: 9:47.

"Why aren't you in school?" I asked, then glanced back at Jack as I quietly yawned.

"I couldn't go to bed last night after you woke up. You were tossing and turning and muttering in your sleep."

He sighed and leaned back into the head board.

"I'm sorry," I said, and looked at my lap. "You shouldn't have had gone through that. Maybe I should take sleeping pills or something. I've been trying to get a hold of my parents, see if they can get involved in this, but they never answer."

Jack shook his head and motioned for me to come sit closer to him.

I hesitated before shaking my head.

After a little while, Jack said quietly, "Are you mad at me? You've been kind of cold towards me lately."

"No," I shook my head. "Not at all. Just, let me-" I stood up and motioned to the door. "I'll just go freshen up and I'll be right back."

I basically ran out of the room and into the bathroom. I breathed in and out until my breath returned to normal. I have to stop letting these dreams affect me. It's not affecting just me now-it's affecting Jack and his family as well.

XxX

I knocked on Jack's door after I washed up and changed my clothes.

"Come in!" he yelled.

I opened the door slowly and noticed how he now was laying on his stomach and playing a video game.

I slowly wondered over to the fish tank in the other side of Jack's room. The tank had a small amount of water and a couple rocks as well as Jack's turtle.

I stared at the turtle and wondered why Jack or anybody would choose a turtle for a pet. There's not much you can teach them, and it's not like you can play or cuddle with it.

The sounds of the TV stopped abruptly and Jack came to stand next to me.

"I just realized that I'd never formally intruduced you two," he said.

I raised an eye brow at him as he lifted the top of the tank and took out the turtle carefully.

After he pet the turtle, he turned towards me.

"Kim, this is Carly Brewer. Carly, meet Kim Crawford. Would you like to hold her, Kim?"

"I would love to, but here's the thing: I'd actually _like _to live."

He frowned.

"Turtles don't _kill _people," he said.

"Yeah?" I asked. "And how do you think they _eat _while they're in the wild and not being cared for by humans?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Kim. Carly's a good turtle, I promise."

"Mmmhm," I said. "Say that to my mom, who was _bitten _by a turtle."

"And _when _was that?" he asked with a smirk.

"When she was a teenager, and she said it hurt _a lot_, so keep that animal away from me."

"Whatever," he said as my stomach growled. "Let's go get some food for you guys."

He walked in front of me and I followed behind him at a safe distance.

Around the stove, the ingredients for breakfast were already laid out.

"How did you know...?" I asked him.

"I'm hungry and it's been a while since we've eaten, so I figured we've both be hungry."

He set the turtle on the floor and fed it a piece of lettuce.

"If she starts choking-"

"What? You want me to do CPR on it?" I asked sarcastically.

"No. Just tell me about it."

"What if it poops?"

"If she poops, then you clean it. Geesh. It's not that hard. Have you ever had a pet?"

I let the 'you' part slide, hoping that the turtle didn't poop, so I didn't have to go near it.

"Of course I have. I've just never had a turtle."

"Uh huh," Jack said as he got to work cooking breakfast, "There's something really bothering you, isn't it?"

"No kidding. That thing has sharp teeth and won't hesitate to use 'em on me. Just look at how she looks at me. That animal is pure _evil_."

Jack chuckled.

"It's not funny, Jack. She acts innocent around you, but you just wait till you turn around. _That's _when she's going to strike. I'm warning you."

"Well, then she sounds a lot like somebody else I know," he said. I raised a questioning eye brow at him again. "You know, sweet and innocent, but also able to kick your butt into next week."

Heat rushed onto my cheeks as I sat down.

"Anyway," Jack said, "what I meant to say was that since Cody's visit you've been kind of distant."

"I've been thinking," I said after a brief period of silence.

Jack sat on the chair next to me and asked, "What have you been thinking so hardly about?"

"I can't live knowing that my brother is out there, enjoying his life while I am constantly looking over my shoulder...while I'm still living a nightmare and not entirely happy."

I hadn't realized I'd looked away until Jack pulled my chin up.

"What do you want to do?" he asked quietly. "This doesn't sound as if you're going to let it go that easily."

"I've been actually thinking about it for a while," I said quietly.

"And what have you come up with?"

I tried to look down, but couldn't due to the fact that Jack was holding my chin in place.

"You're not going to like it," I muttered.

"What is it?"

"You know, I haven't really worked out the details, or how exactly it would go down or if I'm even considering actually doing it.

"Kim, just tell me," Jack insisted.

"I watched this movie or show once, where a female cop went undercover as a striper as well as a prostitute. The guy she was targeting, who was the bad guy, fell in love with her and treated her well, like a woman should be treated, even though she was one of his employees-but that's not relevant. And in the end, the cop turned the guy in, after she found enough evidence against him."

"Okay?" Jack said.

"Have you been following me?"

"Yes, but-"

"Aaron loves his video camera more than anything. He video tapes _everything_, and when I say _everything_, I mean it. His video camera is proof of what I've lived. From the first time, when it was nothing more than a way to vent anger, up to the day you came. There are also pictures, but that isn't enough. If I were to follow through with this, I would need to set him a trap."

Jack stared intently me, his Adam's apple moving up and down.

"No," he said with finality.

"Jack-"

"No," he repeated and got up from his seat. Jack had always been the person you went to for comfort or advice, but he had his moments in which he could look scary-and right now was one of them. "I understand that I can't control you. I'm not your dad or your guardian or anything, and even if I was, I couldn't _make _you do anything, but I _do _want what's best for you."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued.

"No, Kim. This is about so much more than what you're letting on. You're not a slut and you're _certainly _not a frigging cop. I'm not going to let you do something as ridiculous as going back to the person that's hurt you so much. Who knows? He could end up killing or hurting you badly. I'm _not _letting you go through that. It's a sacrifice I'm not willing to take. And going back on what I said earlier-I can't make you not go, but if you do it, then it'll certainly be over my dead body. I don't think you understand. It's not as if it's a random girl who's going into this; it's not as if in the day of tomorrow someone finds you and I'll be able to brush it off and be like, 'She was a nice girl, but I didn't really know her. It sucks for her and her family and friends.'"

Jack paused and sat down in front of me again, he took my hand in his and kissed it.

"I'm way too involved _not _to care." He paused. "When I found you almost getting raped and that first time, when I came to get you and found you...you looked like you were half-dead...I just wanted to die, Kim."

I looked away as the tears started rolling down-stupid hormones.

"Oh, gosh, no, no. Don't cry, Kim. Don't cry."

He wiped away the tears and pulled me towards him.

"I'm sorry I raised my voice," he whispered.

I hugged him back and said, "This isn't me-it's the babies' doing thay I'm this way. I wish I could make it stop, but it's not as if I could turn it off. And it's not your fault either-people who are pregnant are just really sensitive."

Jack kissed my forehead, stared into my eyes and leaned down. I leaned forward until our noses touched and just when we were about to kiss, something loud and obnoxious went off.

I jumped away from Jack, scared for a second, then looked back at him, making the discovery that it was only a timer.

He looked really annoyed.

"I'll go turn it off," Jack grumbled.

Once be turned his back, I let myself smile widely. If he was annoyed by the little interruption, then it meant that he wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss him.

Honestly, I'm in no rush to kiss him. The longer that it drags out, the more my feelings for him will increase (especially since I'm pregnant) and the better it'll be when it actually happens.

"Kim, can you pour the juice please?" Jack asked.

I snapped out of my thoughts, and nodded my head.

"Sure," I said.

I took two cups from the cupboard and began pouring the orange juice into the cups.

"Hey, Jack, where did your evil turtle go off to?" I asked.

He looked back at me and frowned.

"Wasn't she here like five minutes ago?"

"Yeah, but now she's gone."

"She's a turtle-she shouldn't be out too far. I'll fetch her after I'm done here."

I looked down at my bare feet, and muttered, "I hope she doesn't like swelled up human feet for breakfast."

Jack chuckled and said, "She's not going to eat you, Kim. Have you really not noticed how little she is?"

"Uh huh, and have you not noticed how snakes bite people sometimes and _they're _little? And when they bite ya, it can cause a lot of harm or even death."

"You're just being paranoid."

"Well, I deserve the right, don't I?"

He shrugged.

"Maybe," he said.

After he set the food down on the table, he left to get Carly. I folded my legs underneath me, hoping that Jack's turtle didn't bite me.

A few minutes later, Jack returned with Carly and set her down on the floor.

He knelt down and picked up her piece of lettuce. He tried to get her to eat, but didn't get any results.

"Come on, honey," Jack said to Carly, "you have to eat."

My eyebrows went up. I'd never heard Jack use the word "honey" before-it _was _cute though.

Jack gave up shortly after Carly hid inside her shell.

He stood up and frowned.

"I think I'm forgetting something," he muttered.

"Wash your hands," I said.

"That's it," he said and turned to the sink.

I stared at Carly's shell, silently begging for her to stay in her shell until after breakfast.

XxX

**JACK**

As I washed my hands, I thought about what Kim had said.

It was crazy, but she had the right to want to put her brother in jail. Whenever I thought about all the pain he had caused her...I just...I wanted to tear him apart from limb to limb.

I turned back to Kim, who'd tucked her feet beneath her and was staring off into space.

I sat down next to her and silently picked up my fork. We ate in silence, lost in our own thoughts.

I waited for Kim to finish eating, so I could talk to her.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" I asked.

"What?" Kim asked.

"How long have you been thinking about getting the...uh, father of your children thrown into jail. I think he deserves it, too. I can see where you're coming from, but that doesn't mean-"

"That you like it. I know. That's why I hesitated to tell you."

"I don't want you to think that you can't discuss anything with me, because you can, but I just don't want you to get hurt. That's all."

"I know."

"Since when are you such a know-it-all?" I asked teasingly.

"Hmm, let me think," she said and placed a hand on her chin. "Before I met you-way before, well, since forever."

"So you're telling me you're immortal?"

She hesitated before saying, "Mhmm."

"Well, then I have a very, very old best friend."

"Yep. It's hard looking so young when you're so old, but I've managed, you know."

I chuckled and got up, taking my plate along with hers. I put them in the sink and pushed in my chair, cleaning the spot where we had eaten.

"Do you want to watch a movie or a little TV?" I asked Kim.

"Sure, I'd love to."

"Are you coming?"

"Would you mind getting Carly first?"

I smiled lopsidedly and picked up my turtle.

XxX

Kim cuddled into my side as I channel surfed. I put my arm around her waist and laid my head on top of hers.

"What do you wanna watch?" I asked. "I'm bored."

"Just put on cartoons," Kim said. "There's no way you can go wrong with Cartoon Network."

"Okay."

I poked Kim's side, waited, then poked her stomach.

"Jack, stop," Kim said.

"Or what?"

"Jack, I don't feel like getting tickled today, 'kay?"

"That's okay. I don't feel like tickling you either."

"Ouch," I said, mocking hurt, "so today I'm not good enough for getting tickled?"

"It's not that. I'm just tired."

"Me too," I said. "Why don't you just go upstairs and go to bed?"

"I want to spend some time with you. I haven't really spent all that time with you 'cuz of all the extra practice I've had to put in. I just miss hanging out with you—just the two of us."

"Okay, then what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. You choose."

Jack let go of me and turned his body to face me.

"Let's play a game in which we ask each other questions," I said.

"Like twenty questions?"

"Sure. You go first."

"Ummm…what do you want to do when you grow up?"

"I'm not too sure yet," I said. "I would love to do something active, and I would also like to help people, so I was thinking about being like a…I can't think of the name, but they give therapy to people, mostly kids, who have trouble walking and such. I think that being a coach would be fun, but I want a good-paying job that I would love to fall back on if something goes wrong. What's your favorite Bobbi Wasabi movie?"

"Kung Fu Cops—definitely Kung Fu Cops. While I was watching it, I had this dream of it, and-it was just so cool, and it felt as if you were actually in the movie. It was—it was _awesome_."

I laughed.

"I remember that. I was the one with the 'pretty hair'?"

Jack blushed.

"Well, all of us except Rudy had long hair—he had a mustache like Bobbi Wasabi and hair like Elvis Presley, and you had this little afro that really didn't look all that bad. What are your current favorite singers?"

"I have a ton since I really love music, but I would definitely have to say Avril Lavigne, Rascal Flatts, Nikki Minaj, One Direction…they're all so good. Sooo, what are some things I don't know about you?"

Jack bit his lip and thought for a moment before replying, "I—I have a huge foot, which I'm sure you've noticed, so I'm a size thirteen, I love to cook and I'm a certified scuba diver."

I laugh lightly.

"It's not like any of those are surprising."

The day went on like that until Jack was way too tired and dazed off. I eventually drifted off as well after watching a Hallmark's movie.

XxX

I snuggled into my blankets and pillow as I slowly started to wake up.

Somebody kissed my head and my stomach, then left.

I blinked as I heard Eddie's voice say, "So, are you ready to leave for the tournament?"

XxX

**Hey, everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated-I've been really busy, but hopefully I'll have lots of time to write over the Christmas break, so let's hope I don't get sidetracked.**

**This is an important chapter because it has some elements that will be used in the future.**

**I also hope I made you guys laugh or be amused by Kim's Carly-phobia. Did you think it had enough Kick? If you do, tell me about your favorite parts and what your thoughts on them was.**

**REVIEW!**

**emeralgreenlove.**


	14. Advice

Broken Down And Built Back Up

**Chapter Fourteen: (**Milton's And Jen's) Advice

_**Warning: **__Jack is going to be a little OOC._

_**emeralgreenlove: **__Hi, everyone! Thank you for reading and reviewing and I will be answering to some reviews at the bottom. (By the way, I'm already working on the next episode, so I have sneak peeks for those of you who review!)_

**XxX**

_I snuggled into my blankets and pillow as I slowly started to wake up._

_Somebody kissed my head and my stomach, then left._

_I blinked as I heard Eddie's voice say, "So, are you ready to leave for the tournament?"_

**XxX**

**KIM**

Tournament? Leaving? What was going on? What was Eddie even doing here?

I sat up and wrapped one of the blankets around me. I'd been sleeping on the couch, which wasn't all that comfortable to be honest.

"I don't know if I'm ready, guys," Jack said.

I entered the kitchen to find all the guys in a huddle, talking. As I walked into the kitchen, they stopped talking abruptly. I felt as if I'd walked into my parents' heated conversations.

I glanced at all of the guys' faces and asked, "What's going on? _What_ tournament are you guys talking about?"

Eddie, Milton and Jerry all looked confused and Jack looked annoyed. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Kim, you weren't supposed to wake up until later," Jack stated.

"What time is it?" I asked quietly.

"Seven," Milton replied.

"I've been sleeping for almost twelve hours and you _didn't _expect me to wake up?"

"I, uh, no—"

Milton's phone started ringing and he answered with his usual "Hello."

I stared at Jack as he opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"...Okay, Rudy. I'll let them know," Milton said, hanging up as I wrapped my blanket tighter around me.

"Guys," Milton said, "Rudy said that he was having car trouble, so we can expect to be here for a while."

Everyone grumbled their responses.

"Yo, I'm going to watch TV since Kim's awake," Jerry said and left to go to the living room.

"I'm going to make sure he doesn't break anything," Milton said and left.

"I'm going to help Milton out," Eddie said, smiled and left.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" I whispered.

"I didn't want to say good bye while you were awake."

"I think that would have been the best thing to do—not just leave me behind in a big, empty house by myself."

"You wouldn't have been alone," Jack said.

"Jack, if you haven't already figured it out—I _really_ don't like your turtle."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"I'm _not_ talking about her. Mom's coming home from her business trip at noon, and Jaymee and Grandpa are coming back from Colorado in two days. You aren't going to be alone."

I blinked, drinking in the new information.

"Whatever. Rudy will probably take up to five hours to get here, so I'm going to freshen up and change. Don't leave without saying good-bye."

"Okay," Jack said, sounding defeated.

I ran up the stairs, anxious to get the tasks of showering and putting on a new outfit of the way.

**XxX**

I wanted to run down the stairs, to check if he hadn't left without saying good-bye properly, but I made myself slow down and walk _calmly_ down the stairs. I trusted Jack with anything and everything, but sometimes I thought he was just way _too_ perfect to be real—he _had_ to have some flaws aside from having coulrophobia (which he had more or less defeated after fighting the Black Dragons dressed as clowns) and an allergy to Blue Cheese, right?

"Nice shirt," I said after I entered the kitchen and noticed he had taken off his jacket. Underneath he had a black shirt with white letters that said "Blink If You Like Me."

"Thanks," Jack said absentmindedly as he searched the fridge.

A feeling told me to look down, and when I did, I screamed.

Jack echoed my scream and turned around, at my side quicker than I thought it was humanly possible to be there.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his shoulders tense.

"Nothing. We're just wearing the exact same thing—it's…weird and creepy"

We both had on jeans and the same T-shirt, except that my shirt, of course, was smaller and tighter (since I was had…expanded) and Jack didn't look like he had a basketball under his shirt.

"I thought something bad happened," Jack whispered.

I started breathing normally again as Jack walked away, going to the cupboard and taking out a couple plates.

"Sorry," I said as the guys ran in.

"What happened?" the guys asked, at different times, but still managing to sound unified.

"Nothing happened," I said. "It was my bad, guys."

"Oooh, look, you guys are twins," Jerry said, his eyes wide and his mouth shaped into a grin of child-like joy.

"We're _not_ twins, Jerry," Jack said.

"Yeah," I said, "we just so happened to have the same taste in clothes and wear the same outfit on the same day. It's not a big deal, and it's not like you have to be a twin to have twins. That's ridiculous."

My voice started getting high. Being Jack's twin would be…awkward in the least.

Milton had a far away look, his eyes wide and his smile showcased his excitement.

_What's going on with him?_ I thought.

**XxX**

After breakfast, the boys had gone back to watching TV as if sensing Jack and I needed to talk.

I helped Jack put the dirty dishes in the sink and put on rubber gloves as Jack grabbed a dish. I took it away from him and gave him the drying cloth.

As we started washing the plates, my eyes were on the plate I was washing as I asked quietly, "You knew about this beforehand, but didn't tell me about it, right? Why?"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know what your reaction would be. If you'd reacted badly, then I wouldn't have been able to make myself leave and focus on the tournament instead of thinking of you. I would have rather had you get mad at me after coming back rather than leave town knowing we're not in good terms."

"I wouldn't have done that, Jack," I said and shook my head. "You're the one person I have left that I'm close to. You're not the only one in this relationship that cares, you know, and no matter what it is that you want to pursue in life, I'll always stand by you—well, unless you want to kill someone," I finished off jokingly.

"I've thought about it several times," he said seriously, "but it's just not worth it."

"Jack," I said sadly, "I don't want you to think like that."

"But—"

"'But' nothing, Jack," I said, raising my voice. "You go out there and you follow your dreams. That's all I want you to do, so don't worry about anything _but_ the tournament, 'kay?"

"So it doesn't matter to you what I have to do in order to reach my goals and dreams?"

"That's not what I meant. I don't want you to step on anybody in the process, but that's not what I meant. I just don't want you to worry about me, that's all."

"But I _do_ worry—it's not like there's anything you can do about it."

"Well, _try_ not to. I'll be fine, it's not like I—"

"Like what?" Jack whisper-yelled, throwing down the wash cloth. "Like you _weren't_ raped? You try to down play it, but it's not like you tripped a couple times or got hurt during practice and that's how you got pregnant—it was abuse, Kim. _Abuse_. I'm frightened of the possibilities. What if I'd told you about the tournament and something happened to you simply because you were blinded by anger? What if you'd reacted badly to it? The 'what ifs' are kept me from telling you."

I sighted and noticed how the living room had become absolutely silent, even the TV set had been muted. I hoped Eddie, Jerry and Milton hadn't heard my secret.

Jack was absolutely still, his Adam's apple being the only body part he moved.

I silently removed the rubber gloves off my hands and covered my face with my hands.

Jack had never talked to me like that and on top of that, the guys might be aware of the most embarrassing secret I had. My insides grew hot and it felt as if my guts were being squeezed.

After a few minutes of silence, someone knocked on the front door, then came in.

Suddenly, Jack pulled me towards him. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and sobbed into me, holding me as if his life depended on it.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm under so much stress, but I didn't mean to take it out on you. I just want you to be okay. And I haven't been sleeping well, Rudy and our principal have been pushing me too hard and I just can't take it. I never meant to shout at you or make you upset, I swear."

"I know," I said, rubbing his back. "You _never_ act out, but it's _not_ okay to have all this stress going on without you doing something about it. I thought karate helped you relieved some of it, but if it's only causing you more stress, you need to find a hobby or something that helps you relax. I know I may not always be in my best state, but maybe talking things out with somebody wouldn't really hurt, you know?"

He nodded against my shoulder.

"Jack…can't…breathe."

He loosened his grip on me and laid his cheek on my shoulder.

"Hey, Jack, I need you to help me with—" Rudy said as he entered the kitchen. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Jack said and let go of me. "I'm going to get my luggage."

Jack left and went up the stairs.

"Did he just say he went to get his luggage?" Rudy asked.

"Yep," I said as Rudy and I glanced at the pile of the guys' bags, Jack's familiar ones at the bottom.

After a while of silence (except for Rudy's occasional muttering and some sound coming from the living room), I said, "Rudy, can I ask you something?" then sat down since my feet and back were killing me.

"Sure, Kim," he said and sat down at the kitchen table across from me. "What can I do for you?"

"Jack's really stressed out and he's kind of overwhelmed by everything. Could you go easy on him?"

"Jack? Are we really talking about the same Jack, Kim?"

"Yes, Rudy. He was feeling down about it. You're putting too much pressure on him."

"_What_?" Rudy asked, his voice high. "Jack can handle it, _Kim_. Thanks for the lack of _trust_."

"I'm telling you the _truth_, Rudy," I said, angry at my sensei. "Jack is a strong person, but even strong people get overwhelmed sometimes. Just go easy on him."

"Okay, if you say so. How are things going?"

"They're going," I said. "I'm getting bigger every day and my body's getting all swelled up, but not much has really changed since the last time we saw each other."

Rudy hesitated before he asked, "Are you ever going to do karate again?"

I was taken by surprise, but didn't hesitate when it came down to replying.

"Of _course_ I am, Rudy. I may not be able to do it as often as I did before, and I may not improve as much as I would if I practiced it as regularly as I did before, but, I will _always_ do karate…at least I can hope I do."

Rudy smiled at me and nodded.

"Remember when Jack was going to leave and when I made the mistake of giving up the dojo?" I nodded. "We all miss you back at the dojo. It just isn't the same. We're all worried about you and it just doesn't feel right to do karate while you're _here_, _suffering_."

I sighed and ignored the urge to roll my eyes.

"Who told you that, Rudy? I'm _fine_. Sure, I'm a couple pounds heavier than before, but it's not like I'm really paying attention to it."

"Nobody has to tell me anything for me to notice that you're not in your best shape. Back at the hospital, I saw all I needed to see." Rudy paused. "Do you not trust me enough to tell me what's really going on…or what already went on?"

"_No_," I said, "of _course_ I trust you. It's just too painful to talk about and it's not something I'm exactly proud of."

I absentmindedly started rubbing my stomach as the babies moved inside me.

"Someday I _will_ tell you and the guys. You all deserve to know, but I'm not ready to tell you guys yet."

Rudy sighed.

"Okay. I can work with that…we won't judge you and if you don't want to tell the guys, then that's fine, but I _do_ want to help you."

I smiled and said, "Thanks, Rudy, and I know I can always count on you guys."

XxX

Rudy had finally gotten help from a neighbor and fixed his car up…after getting his mini van towed.

The boys (excluding Jack) and Rudy had left after I'd given them hugs and wished them luck, and Jack had stayed behind to say good-bye properly.

"I'm sorry I behaved like a selfish jerk," Jack said. "I didn't mean it."

"As long as you really mean it, never do it again and let me stay in your house, we're good," I said half-jokingly, half-serious. "I understand you were under stress, but, just, get help next time, okay?"

"Of course, Kimmy. I can't promise that I'll never do it again because I didn't mean to do it this time, but I'll try not to get upset or make you upset.

I nodded and walked into his arms when he invited me into his embrace.

"I'm gonna miss you, Jack," I said, against his chest, holding on tightly, knowing I'd have to let go soon.

"And I'm going to miss _you_, my Kimmy, but I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back."

"You better text me, call me and IM me, mister," I said in a mock stern voice.

Jack chuckled and said, "Yes, ma'am."

Jack let go of me and knelt down to the level of my stomach.

"You guys, be good for your mom, okay?" Jack asked my babies. "Uncle Jack might even get you a gift from a couple states away." He looked up at me and asked me, "What do you think, Kim?"

'Uncle'? I thought and almost chocked as Jack patted my stomach and stood up.

"You shouldn't spend money on me," I said, then realized what I'd said and shook my head, "us, I meant. You're just…" I tried not to let sadness seep into my voice, "Uncle Jack. You shouldn't spend your money on gifts, really."

"I'm not _just_ Uncle Jack," Jack said as he pulled me back into his arms. "You're my best friend."

I nodded, not replying.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked,

"I'm fine," I squeaked out.

Jack held me a little tighter and said, "Of course you are, princess. You'll be fine, don't worry. You're strong and it's only a week." He paused, then continued. "I'll miss you like crazy, though…Promise me that when I come back you'll give me a big hug?"

I smiled and nodded against his chest as I realized that it sounded as if he were reassuring himself rather than me. Maybe that meant that he was going to miss me maybe as much as I was going to miss him, though I doubt it since he really didn't rely on me like I relied on him.

We stayed like that as we heard the door slam and Jennifer came in a few moments later.

"Jack, why are you still here and why is your sensei on my drive way?" Jennifer asked and dropped her keys into the kitchen table.

Jack kissed my forehead, let go of me and turned towards his mother.

"I was just about to leave," he said. "Rudy's car broke down, so we were stuck here till one of our neighbors decided to come help fix it."

Jack hugged Jen and kissed her cheek.

"Love ya, Mom," he said, then let go.

He waved at me and left, slamming the front door a couple seconds later.

Jennifer turned to me and asked, "So, what do you think about a girl's night?"

XxX

As the credits to _Sky High_ rolled down, Jennifer left to do something and I picked up the snack bowl and walked to the kitchen. I refilled the bowl and went back to the living room where Jennifer was putting on _Just Go Along With It._

After the first fifteen minutes of the movie, Jennifer turned to me and asked me, "Is there a certain reason why we're watching movies where best friends fall in love?"

"What?" I asked.

"In all the movies you've chosen, the characters have been best friends for a while and they end up getting together."

"I didn't notice," I muttered and didn't dare to look at her.

"It doesn't really surprise me."

I stopped nibbling on a Dorito, and turned towards her.

"What do you mean you're not surprised?" I asked. "Not surprised about what?"

"You're not really subtle about your feelings, Kim. I know you have feelings for Jack."

"What?" I said, my voice becoming high-pitched. "What do you mean I have feelings for Jack? Of course I have feelings for Jack. He's my best friend."

"You have romantic feelings for him is what I mean."

"No, I don't," I automatically replied.

"See what I mean?" she said.

I didn't reply.

After a brief period of silence, Jen said, "It's okay if you don't want to talk, but I'm aware that you can't talk with Jack about everything, and I wanted to spend this time with you so we could bond because you're an unofficial part of our family and I barely know you."

I glanced at her and nodded.

"I appreciate that," I said. "I'm just so confused about who I've become." I hesitated before I said, "I do kinda like him, but I really don't know where we stand."

"The key to a good relationship is good communication and seriously, honesty honesty honesty. It looks as if he likes you, but you have to know who you are and what you want before you commit to a romantic relationship."

I stared at the movie as I said, "I'm scared. What if it doesn't work out and we can't go back to being simply friends?"

"That's entirely up to you. If you think you're both ready to step into a relationship where you're more than friends, then do it, and make sure you discuss with him what would happen if things end up taking a bad turn. I'm not telling you to throw your friendship away…it's more of a leap of faith, you know?"

"I do," I said. "I guess I'm afraid of doing something that will tear us apart. I know it makes me sound dependent and weak, but I rely on Jack more than I've relied on anyone in a while and I don't want to lose him."

Jennifer smiled at me.

"I know how that feels like. No matter what you decide to do, just go with the flow and enjoy it because it _will_ get harder and trickier once you're older and you have your babies to take care of." Her eyes went wide for a second, and added, "Oh, and don't forget to use protection. There's no need for me to be a grandmother till I'm in my fifties."

XxX

"Jennifer, do you know what Cody said to Jack to make him so mad a while back?" I asked, remembering my initial confusion on the subject. "I'd never seen him so upset."

"Cody said, 'The chick's got you wrapped around her little finger.' Even though it was disrespectful of Cody, Jack took it to the heart and that's why they got into a fight. He only did it to defend your honor. I'm not saying that I agree with his method of solving things, but standing up for the people that he cares about is something his father and I taught from a very young age."

I smiled and nodded, glad I had someone as awesome as Jack standing behind me.

XxX

One second I was laying in bed, with Jack behind me, his arms wrapped around my rounded stomach, and the next, I had a baby girl pressed against my chest. She was wrapped in a pink blanket, sleeping soundly as I smiled down at her lovingly. I glanced away for a second, then looked back and she was gone. I looked around frantically until Aaron appeared in front of my bed with the baby in his arms.

I reached out for her, but he stepped back and smirked.

"No, no," he said. "It's Daddy's time with our little girl. You should have gotten rid of her while you had the chance, baby sister."

He turned his back to me and disappeared along with my daughter.

I looked around the hospital room, then ran out the door after I realized that they were truly gone. I ran around the hospital corridors until I knew I _had_ to look inside a room. I opened the door slowly, and looked at the person in the rocking chair. He wasn't looking at me, but I instantly knew it was Jack. As he continued to rock the chair, I noticed he had a pink bundle in his arms.

I let out a sigh of relief and slowly approached him. He slowly turned to face me.

My eyes widened as I saw blood on the pink blanket, then froze as he started to transform into Aaron.

I started to back up, but knew I was trapped. Besides, why should I live if I allowed my baby to get hurt? I deserved it. I let her get hurt and now she was gone.

I didn't know why (maybe it was a rush of adrenaline), but I screamed out, "Jack!" and ran to the door—

"Kim. Kim," someone said.

"Jack," I muttered and opened my eyes. Jennifer was crouched down to my level and was looking at me with worried eyes.

I closed my eyes, remembering the pain I'd felt as my baby had been snatched from me and killed.

"Jack," I whimpered quietly.

My fingers traveled down to my stomach on their own accord and clutched the top and bottom of my stomach as I realized that my babies were fine. They were going to be okay and I wasn't going to ever allow anyone to hurt them. That didn't mean that I wanted to cry any less. At any moment, I could easily hurt them without meaning to. Though Aaron had turned the shape of Jack, I still felt as if Jack had been the one to kill my little girl, not Aaron and the betrayal stung.

"Kim?" Jen asked.

I sat up and realized I had fallen asleep on the couch yet again.

"Are you feeling better?"

I shrugged.

"A little," I said in a shaky whisper.

"Do you want me to call Jack?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"Talk to me, then."

I shook my head again.

"Can-can you call Jack? Please?" I shakily asked.

"Yeah," Jen said and left.

A few minutes later Jen came back with the house phone on her hand.

"I'm going to go back to sleep. If you need anything, just knock on my door, okay?" I nodded. "And don't fall asleep on the couch again. It'll hurt your back more than it would if you slept on a regular bed."

I nodded and hesitated as I reached out for the phone.

"Ja-Jack?"

"Hey, Kimmy."

I didn't reply. I got off of the couch and folded the blanket that had been over me quickly.

"Are you there? Hell-_o_?" Jack asked.

"I'm right here, Jack," I said and climbed up the stairs quickly, locking the door behind me once I'd gotten to the guest room.

"Are you okay? Mom told me about what was going on."

"Y-yeah. I-I-I—"

I couldn't take even thinking of Jack's betrayal, much less talking about it.

"I'm so sorry I called you at this hour," I said as a few tears rolled down my cheek. "I shouldn't have bothered you, really. I'm going to hang up now."

"No, Kim, stay on the phone. You're obviously not okay. Why don't you tell me what got you so shaken up?"

I sniffled and laid on my side on my bed.

"Jack, really. It's nothing."

"Kim, why don't you just tell me?" Jack asked, hurt. "? We could work this out together. I promised you we were going to do this together, remember?"

I swallowed and said, "I was in a hospital room, alone with my newborn daughter, then Aaron appeared and took her away from me, saying that I should have killed her when I had the chance."

I stopped talking, too overwhelmed by emotion to speak. I started to sob, forgetting Jack was on the phone.

"Kim. Kimmy, don't cry. Please keep going. Sometimes all you need is to get things off your chest so you can feel better."

I got my sobs under control and said, "I searched what felt like the whole hospital for my baby, then my gut told me to go to a room. It was small and there was a rocking chair. You had your back to me and you had my daughter. I walked up to you and I realized that my baby was dead," I stopped to catch my breath, "then you turned around and transformed into my brother. He cornered me and I thought I was going to die…"

My sobs got louder and I looked at the phone, wondering if I should hang up and leave Jack out of my suffering. He didn't deserve to be involved at all. It was all on me.

"Shh, shh," he said. "Kimmy, I would never hurt you _or_ your kids, I swear."

I took a big breath before asking, "Why do you care about them?" I asked curiously.

"Why do I care about who?"

"My children," I replied without missing a beat.

"_Oh_," he said and became silent. I wish I'd been able to see his expression and read his mind. After a period of silence, he said, "I care about them because they're a part of you."

_That doesn't mean you have to be so loving towards them,_ I thought.

"Hey, have you thought of any names yet?" Jack asked.

"I've thought of some names, but I'm not really sure about them and I'm having a hard time thinking of nice girl names."

"Ummmm, how about…Jackie?"

A giggle escaped my lips.

"You just want to name someone after yourself, don't you?" I asked.

I grinned, then stopped, feeling ashamed and guilty of how quickly I'd forgotten about the nightmare, when it could easily become true. I shook my head. Worrying so much and stressing out wasn't good, especially while I was in the middle of my pregnancy. If I did too much stressing out, there was a possibility that the babies would be born premature.

"Alright," Jack said in defeat. "You caught me. Guilty as charged."

My grin returned and I laughed along with Jack.

"I will eventually be their favorite uncle, Kimmy, and you know it, so why not? If you have twin girls, one of them could be Jackie and other one could be Jackie…Kimberly. See? It works out."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'm not going to name my daughter or daughters Jackie. Seriously, Jack, I want my kids' names to be _unique, _something you're lacking when it comes to the name department."

"Ouch."

"Do you have any suggestions for boy names?"

"Why? Are you going to further critic my suggestions? Anyhow, I hadn't really thought about it, so, no."

"So, how's the tournament going?"

"It hasn't really started yet. Well, it has, but they're just eliminating the people with the lowest belts." He paused. "I wish you could have come with me."

"Me too, sweets, but we'll see each other soon. It's only the second day and you're going to have tons of fun, enough for the both of us."

"Can you promise me something, Kimmy?" Jack asked, his tone of seriousness surprising me.

"Unless you're going to ask me to do something crazy, sure, I'm in. What do want me to promise?"

He became silent, but I could still hear his breathing.

"I want you to promise that you won't go ahead with your plan to get you-know-who in jail. I don't want you to get hurt, much less when I'm so far away and won't be able to do anything. Just…promise me that you'll stay out of trouble, and if anything happens, you'll call me."

I smiled, touched by his words.

"Of course, I'll promise, Jack. I told you I wouldn't go ahead with it, didn't I?"

"Do you really mean it?" he asked.

"I do, why wouldn't I?...Well, I have to hang up now, unless you want people to hear my snores across a couple of states."

Jack chuckled.

"Okay. 'Night, baby girl."

I closed my eyes and my smile grew wider.

"Sorry for waking you up, but thanks for listening like you always do. Night, Jack. Sleep tight."

I pressed the 'end call' button, then pretended that Jack was right next to me and mouthed the words I really wanted to say.

I love you.

XxX

**JACK**

"I love you," I whispered. "You have no idea how much I love you. I wish I could just tell you, but it's not the right time."

I shook my head, put away my cell phone on the pocket of my sweat pants and laid back on the deck chair that was out on the balcony of Milton's and I's hotel room. I didn't want to go back inside and disturb Milton's sleep (he's a light sleeper), so I just covered myself with the throw I had brought out beforehand, knowing it was a bit cold outside. I was sure I wasn't going to get any sleep with Kim on my mind, but I could always try.

I tried to relax, so I could go back to sleep, but before I had the chance, the sliding glass door that connected the hotel room and the balcony opened.

I turned, curious as to who it was.

Milton walked up to the deck chair next to mine and sat down on the edge.

"Milton? Buddy, are you awake?" I asked cautiously, trying to figure out if Milton was awake or if he was sleep walking.

Milton frowned at me and shook his head.

"Of course I'm awake," he said annoyed.

"Okay, good," I said, sitting up in my deck chair. "I have no idea how to deal with someone who's sleep walking."

"What was all that about? What happened to Kim?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, hoping he hadn't heard anything.

"I heard most of the conversation, Jack. You shouldn't put your calls on loud speaker if you don't want anyone else to hear them."

I looked at him, wondering if I should reply.

"I know. I know. I just wanted to hear her voice."

Milton nodded.

"Who's Aaron?"

I was about to reply, but remembered he was pretty much in the dark about Kim's condition.

"Someone who was a jerk to Kim."

"Is he the father?"

I nodded.

"He is, though he doesn't deserve to be."

Milton didn't comment, and stared into space.

"Wait, you say his name is Aaron, right?" I nodded. "It sounds familiar. Aaron? Where have I heard that name before?"

I laid back and closed my eyes, knowing it'd take a while for Milton to think.

"No way. The Aaron we're talking about can't be the same Aaron, can it?"

"What Aaron are you talking about, then?"

"Aaron Crawford."

My eyes widened as far as they would go and I was way too surprised to deny it.

"So it _is_ true?" Milton asked, his voice full of disbelief.

"I never said that," I said, and swallowed audibly.

Milton stared at me, but didn't say anything.

"Kim is my friend," he started out calmly. "If she wants to go ahead and have a secret romance with her brother, then that's fine with me, but they both should have been more careful. Now they're going to bring two innocent children into this world that might end up deformed and with high chances of being ill for the rest of their lives."

"It wasn't like that, Milton."

"I won't treat Kim any differently, Jack. Yes, incest is gross and it's a touchy subject for many people, but if it makes her happy, then so be it. What I would like to know is what happened afterwards."

"Kim didn't have a choice."

"You _always_ have a choice."

"Not when you're being _forced_," I snapped. "She didn't just get up one day and said, 'I'm going to have intercourse with my brother.' It just happened and it _broke_ her. You haven't seen her _cry_, Milton; you haven't been there to comfort her almost every night when she wakes up screaming, desperate to wake up from her nightmares. You haven't gotten past her smile, and when you get there…it's a dark, dark place you wish you could just get her and yourself out of. What she has gone through is something I don't wish on anyone and I regret not being there for her when she was going through it. I thought that you out of all people would understand, but I guess I was wrong."

"I can't say I perfectly understand," Milton said quietly after he thought things over, "because I don't and I don't think I ever will, but I wish she would have let us know about it."

"Me too."

"So, are you and her…?"

"We're not going out. I don't think she could handle everything at once, and I'm certainly not going to test her limits."

"But you do see a future with her, don't you?"

I nodded.

"I don't think I could imagine one without her," I said.

Milton nodded and became quiet as I got lost in thought.

"How does it feel knowing you're going to be a stepfather in a couple months?" Milton asked, surprising me.

"What?" I asked.

"You see a future with her, but you haven't thought of her children?"

"Of course I've thought of her children, I'd just never thought of them as…mine. And we're not married, so, really, they're not going to be my stepchildren."

"Yes, they are. If they're not going to have their dad around, they're always going to look for a father figure, and if you're always with their mom, who do you think they're going to think of as dad?"

"Me?"

"Exactly."

"I'd never thought of that," I said, then hesitated, but continued. "I'm too young to be a dad. I don't even know if I'd be the right person for it. What if I messed up with both Kim _and_ her kids? She would _never_ forgive me."

"I'm not telling you that you _have_ to act like their dad, Jack. I'm just saying that it's the logical thing. And _Kim's_ too young to be a mom. If you truly love her as much as you say you do, then it wouldn't be a problem."

"You're right. How do you know this?"

"My dad's not the person that made me. He's the person that married my mom after she had me, raised me and treated me like his son even though our DNA doesn't match up."

I smiled and remembered Milton's dad. Though he was a bit loony, you could see just how much Mr. Krupnick loved and supported his son. Maybe I could eventually do it, too, even if the idea was a little far-fetched.

"Milton, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Do you have feelings for Kim?"

"When she joined our dojo, Jerry, Eddie and I already had crushes on her. Who wouldn't? I mean, she's beautiful, athletic, smart, funny, but at the end of the day, she's also our sister, and all we want is for her to be happy. We've all gotten past the fact that she's a beautiful girl and really started thinking of her as one of the guys, and a sister of course."

I laughed.

"I bet Kim would be flattered yet offended if she heard you say that."

"I'm sure she'd be," Milton said and walked towards the glass sliding door. "Come on, aren't you going to get any sleep?"

I nodded and got up, following him inside.

I was about to ask Milton how he'd gotten so wise when I noticed he was already snoring in bed.

XxX

_I hope you enjoyed it and I meant to ask you guys, do you guys think I go a little over board sometimes with the fluff? And if you have any names for Kim's twins (whose genders I will not yet reveal), then I would really appreciate it and this would be going on till the chapter where they're named. I would appreciate it if you reviewed with guesses for the genders of the babies, their names and any kick idea or any idea at all that you have for this story. Also, I meant to ask you guys if you have all watched _Girl Vs. Monster _starring Olivia Holt?_ _Please tell me about the things you enjoyed about this chapter/story: favorite parts, moments, quotes, and anything's fair game. (I would also love if it was more than two sentences. It's not that I don't enjoy short reviews, but longer reviews help me out better if you give me longer reviews.) I could also benefit from some well-thought out criticism. (My goal is to have at least 15. Chapter 12 has 17 reviews while chapter 13 has 11, so I want to bump the reviews up.) Remember, if you review, I will reply and give you a sneak peek! :.) And last, but not least, there is a lot of drama to come for this story, so I hope you enjoy it :)._

**Review Replies (Guests):**

Misery Buisness: Thank you :).

ALEXIA WEASLEY KICK: Thanks :) and when you said "accidentally in love" I instantly thought of the song in the movie, _Shrek, _which is a really good song but I don't think you did that on purpose. I also liked that part where Kim's babies kick Jack's hand ;), so don't think I don't suffer from Kim's blindness and Jack's hesitance, but I think that the screenwriters from _Kickin' It_ would agree with my methods. Thanks for all the love ;).

Wild112: Thanks. Here it was :).

Kelsey Thomas: Hope that sad face was turned upside down.

_REVIEW!_

_~emeralgreenlove_


	15. Tea Party and Jaymee Brewer

Broken Down And Built Back Up

**Chapter Fifteen: **Tea Party and Jaymee Brewer

**XxX**

"_Of course I've thought of her children, I'd just never thought of them as…mine. And we're not married, so, really, they're not going to be my stepchildren."_

"_Yes, they are. If they're not going to have their dad around, they're always going to look for a father figure, and if you're always with their mom, who do you think they're going to think of as dad?"_

"_Me?"_

"_Exactly."_

"_I'd never thought of that," I said, then hesitated, but continued. "I'm too young to be a dad. I don't even know if I'd be the right person for it. What if I messed up with both Kim _and_ her kids? She would _never_ forgive me."_

"_I'm not telling you that you _have_ to act like their dad, Jack. I'm just saying that it's the logical thing. And _Kim's_ too young to be a mom. If you truly love her as much as you say you do, then it wouldn't be a problem."_

"_You're right. How do you know this?"_

"_My dad's not the person that made me. He's the person that married my mom after she had me, raised me and treated me like his son even though our DNA doesn't match up." _

_I smiled and remembered Milton's dad. Though he was a bit loony, you could see just how much Mr. Krupnick loved and supported his son. Maybe I could eventually do it, too, even if the idea was a little far-fetched._

"_Milton, can I ask you a question?"_

"_Sure, go ahead."_

"_Do you have feelings for Kim?"_

"_When she joined our dojo, Jerry, Eddie and I already had crushes on her. Who wouldn't? I mean, she's beautiful, athletic, smart, funny, but at the end of the day, she's also our sister, and all we want is for her to be happy. We've all gotten past the fact that she's a beautiful girl and really started thinking of her as one of the guys, and a sister of course."_

_I laughed._

"_I bet Kim would be flattered yet offended if she heard you say that."_

"_I'm sure she'd be," Milton said and walked towards the glass sliding door. "Come on, aren't you going to get any sleep?"_

_I nodded and got up, following him inside. _

_I was about to ask Milton how he'd gotten so wise when I noticed he was already snoring in bed._

**XxX**

**KIM**

I cradled the bear who I'd named Kick to my chest, like a baby, and smiled at the six-year-old girl in front of me.

Jaymee and I were sitting in the living room, which we had re-arranged a little in order to play a game of Tea Party. The coffee table was now full of plastic tea cups, spoons and small plates to put the tea cups on, and surrounded by stuffed animals. Around the table there were different stuffed animals on small chairs. Jaymee was wearing a plastic tiara and green pearls over her pajamas. A baby doll was pressed to her chest just like the bear Jack had given me was pressed to mine.

She had persuaded me to wear matching pearls and a cute little cowboy hat that barely fit my head, but I went along with it to get more of a feel of what it was like taking care of a six-year-old little girl. I had babysat my little sister before, but I hadn't had in mind the fact that I would soon be a mother myself.

Over the week Jack had been gone, I had some major bonding time with the rest of his family, which I'd loved. I mean, like Jennifer had said, I'd rarely known anything about them and it was a good time for me to think as well as concentrate on getting to know Jack's family. As much as I hated not having Jack around, I'd realized it was a good time to reflect.

I was five months pregnant, four months away from being a mother. I didn't have any stable financial income (aside from the help of the Brewers, which I truly hated as well as the money I had for emergencies) and on top of that, my parents had no idea what had happened to me. I decided that they were going to have to find out sooner or later, and if I could get a hold of them, it would definitely be sooner rather than later as scary as the concept was.

"Kim, would you like tea?" Jaymee asked, trying her best to sound sophisticated, British-like and 'grown-up.'

"Of course I would, mademoiselle," I replied, playing along.

Jaymee poured the imaginary tea into my plastic cup and said, "Pinkies up."

I drank my imaginary tea down and smiled at Jaymee.

"How are you feeling, Jaymee?" I asked.

"I feel good."

"Not sick anymore?"

"Nope," she said, stressing the 'p.' "How are your babies?"

"They're good—I think. They're probably sleeping right now."

"Why?" she asked. "It's time to play!"

"I know, but..." I paused, trying to think of a way to explain it to a child. "It's always dark inside my belly, so they have no way of knowing it's time to be awake."

I heard the front door open and slam shut, then heard footsteps, presumably Jen's. I noticed my phone on the floor and bent over to pick it up.

When I sat back up, I noticed that Jaymee was nodding.

"Jaymee, sweetie, why are you nodding?" I asked.

She stopped nodding, then swiftly replied, "Nothing," then innocently asked, "Kimmy, why are your babies in the dark?"

I shrugged and said, "Because there's no way light can get inside my stomach."

Jaymee started coughing, which, really, was just a sign of how badly an actress she was. She hadn't coughed or sneezed in a while and she looked fine, rather than flu-infected.

"Kim, can you get me some juice please?"

"Yeah, sure," I said and got up, dropping Kick and going to the kitchen.

I opened the fridge and got the orange juice out, then debated whether or not I should get Jaymee a glass cup or a plastic one. I decided a plastic one would be better, so I just had to remember where they were.

"Are you looking for something, beautiful?"

"Yes, I need a—" I said as I turned around and noticed the person standing in front of me.

My eyes widened and I stood there, frozen, my heart racing like crazy.

"Well, are you just going to stand there? I was expecting a lot more," he said with one of his easy-going smiles.

I said quietly, "I thought you weren't going to be here till tomorrow," then felt as if my body had been unfrozen, ran up to Jack and gave him a bear hug. Jack hugged me back fiercely, but didn't seem to be as enthusiastic to be with me as I was to with him, which made me feel a little self-conscious.

I tried to pull away, but Jack pulled me back into his embrace.

"Hey, I haven't hugged you in a long time," he whispered into my ear. "Hold on a minute."

Jack squeezed me one last time, then let go of me.

We smiled at each other and leaned in closer. I put my arms around his neck, leaning up on my tippy-toes and pressing my forehead against his. Jack's hands slid down my sides and rested on my lower back.

"Kimmy, did you get my juice?" Jaymee yelled.

I groaned to myself, expecting Jack to be annoyed as well, but he just smiled down at me and quickly pecked my lips. I leaned up to kiss him, but he backed away.

"Don't you have to get my sister juice?" Jack asked teasingly.

"No fair," I said and pouted.

When the pout didn't work, I shook my head, stepped away from him and said, "Fine, just know that you're missing out."

"I'll live, and I thought that you out of all people would know how unfair life is," Jack continued in his teasing tone.

"Yeah, but out of all people, I didn't think you'd be the one to do this to me, Brewer," I said in mock hurt.

I shook my head as Jack started to smirk and went back to getting Jaymee a cup for the orange juice.

"Jaymee," I yelled, "wanna come here and say hello to your brother?"

"Coming!" she shouted back and ran into the kitchen.

I picked up the plastic cup and handed it to her. She drank down most of it, put her baby doll on the table and ran towards Jack. Jack picked her up and smiled down at her.

Jaymee started whispering into his ear, so l looked away, feeling as if I were intruding.

Jack laughed and said, "I've known that for a long time, Jay, and I'm sure that if you ask nicely, she might consider making you their adoptive aunt, wouldn't you, Kim?"

"I don't know," I replied, pretending to think. "Maybe, maybe not."

"P'ease?" Jaymee asked. "Can I be the aunty?"

"I don't know if you'd be a good aunt," I said. "Would you play with them?"

"Yes!" she shouted.

"And take good care of them?"

"Yes!"

"Even if they're both boys and have cooties?"

She hesitated, but shouted "Yes!" nonetheless.

"Okay, then you can be their aunt."

"Really?" she asked, astonished.

"Really."

Jaymee squealed and jumped down from Jack's arms, running to me and hugging my waist.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I won't let you down, promise!"

She let go and happily walked toward her doll.

"I'll hold you down to that," I said, seriously.

"Okay!" she said and left.

"Hey, Kim, wanna go watch a movie? You know, somewhere aside from our living room." I looked up at Jack, wondering if he was serious. My brain also caught on to the fact that he'd said _our _(and trust me, that felt good to hear), but "Like a…"

Jack trailed off, smiling at me and waiting for me to continue.

"Like a date," I said, remembering the first time he asked me out. It was a memory that had always been in the back of my mind, but I'd actually kind of forgotten since I had other things going on.

"Yep. Our second one."

I smiled back, but stopped when I remembered an essential detail…or two.

"I think I'll have to take a rain check," I replied sadly.

"What?" Jack asked alarmed. "Why?"

"One, I have to babysit Jaymee until your mother gets home, which will probably be somewhere around midnight. And two, I'm way too far along to go to public places if I don't want anyone to know."

"I never said we had to go to a theater _here_, in Seaford, we could go to the next town over. We don't even have to leave home if you don't want to."

I nodded.

"Okay, then. We can go wherever you want, but we still have to figure out what to do with Jaymee. If it came down to it, would you _mind_ if Jaymee came along?" I asked tentatively. "I know it wouldn't be a traditional date, but we could still make it work."

"It's not like we're really traditional, but yes, I don't care if my baby sister comes along."

I couldn't help a grin from stretching across my face and saying, "Okay, then I'll go get ready."

"You go get ready. I'll take care of my sister," Jack replied, his features showing happiness.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go."

I giggled and turned to go get ready for our date, grinning to myself as I walked up the stairs. _Our date_. I couldn't believe it.

**XxX**

**JACK**

I'd been sitting on one of the kitchen chairs, playing Temple Run on my phone, when Kim's ringtone went off for what felt like the twentieth time. I picked it up and saw the name 'Mitchie' on it. I frowned and wondered if I should take it, but shook my head and put it back down. It would be an invasion of privacy if I answered her phone, but at the same time, it didn't seem as if it was going to stop ringing any time soon.

I walked up the stairs and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Kim? Your phone has been going off for a while. Do you want to take it?"

"Can you take it for me? I'll be out in a minute."

"Sure," I said as the phone stopped ringing.

I walked back down the stairs as the phone started ringing again. I glanced at the name one more time, frowning (who the heck was Mitchie?) and answered the phone.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, who is this?" a male voice asked. "Why are you answering Kim's phone? Where's my sister?"

If I wouldn't have known better, I would have believed that his worry for Kim was real, but if he had cared so much about her, he wouldn't had hurt her the way he had. Anger surged through me, but I decided that it wouldn't be wise to act upon it.

"Sorry," I said as innocently as I could, "but who are you?"

"I'm Aaron Crawford. Now put my sister on," he commanded.

"What do you want with her?"

"That's none of your business. Just put her on the phone, okay?"

I shook my head. The nerve on this guy.

"Well, you know what, Aaron? Anything and everything concerning Kim, concerns me, so if you have something to say to her, just come out and say it, I'll pass it along to her."

"I want to talk to my sister!" he yelled.

"Look, Kim's not around and even if she was, I don't think she'd like to talk to you, _especially_ with that tone. What do you want with her anyway?"

"Like I said, it doesn't have anything to do with you." He said more calmly, then pause. "Who are you and where is my sister? Why do you have her phone?"

"I'm Kim's friend and you're wasting my time. If you're not going to talk, then I'm going to hang up."

Aaron didn't say anything, but a few seconds later, I heard him mutter, "That little bitch," before he hung up.

As I was processing what had happened, Kim walked in with a pink bathrobe. As she walked up to me, I noticed that her growing stomach was sticking out more than it previously had.

"Who was it?" she asked.

"You might want to sit down first," I said as I debated whether or not I should tell her about Aaron.

She sat down on my lap, swinging her feet a couple seconds before turning to me as I tightened my arms around her.

"So, who was it?" she asked, placing her arms around my neck and staring into my eyes.

I stared back into her pretty brown eyes, full of happiness, hope and maybe even love—and her smile…how was I going to break the news to her without making her upset?

"I don't want you to be upset," I said, almost cautiously.

He smile faded and she said, "Don't treat me like a child, Jack. Just come out with it."

"I will," I said, and took a big breath, "how about I tell you about it after the date?"

"Was it something bad?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later," I said.

"Okay, but can I have my phone?"

"No," I replied instantly and her features twisted in confusion. "I mean, let's forget about everyone else. Let's just concentrate on you and me."

She studied my face, as if she were looking for something, but finally muttered "okay" and put her head on my shoulder. She took a long, deep breath, got off my lap and muttered, "Meet you back here in fifteen or twenty."

XxX

Hey, just a couple notes here, and then I'll let you review :).

1. I think that instead of making super long or average size chapters, I'm just going to write short ones for the time being (short being anywhere from 800 to 2000+ words).

2. Thanks to everyone who supports me and my stories—you are all the best :).

3. If you have any ideas on this story or any of my stories, you're all welcome to tell me about it :) (for this chapter, how their date is going to go and stuff) :).

Thanks so much for reading :)…Emeral.


	16. Date

Broken Down And Built Back Up

Chapter Sixteen: Date

**XxX**

Last On Broken Down And Built Back Up:

_"Who was it?" she asked._

_"You might want to sit down first," I said as I debated whether or not I should tell her about Aaron._

_She sat down on my lap, swinging her feet a couple seconds before turning to me as I tightened my arms around her._

_"So, who was it?" she asked, placing her arms around my neck and staring into my eyes._

_I stared back into her pretty brown eyes, full of happiness, hope and maybe even love—and her smile…how was I going to break the news to her without making her upset?_

_"I don't want you to be upset," I said, almost cautiously._

_Her smile faded and she said, "Don't treat me like a child, Jack. Just come out with it."_

_"I will," I said, and took a big breath, "how about I tell you about it after the date?"_

_"Was it something bad?" she asked._

_"I'll tell you later," I said._

_"Okay, but can I have my phone?"_

_"No," I replied instantly and her features twisted in confusion. "I mean, let's forget about everyone else. Let's just concentrate on you and me."_

_She studied my face, as if she were looking for something, but finally muttered "okay" and put her head on my shoulder. She took a long, deep breath, got off my lap and muttered, "Meet you back here in fifteen or twenty."_

**XxX**

**JACK**

When Kim, Jaymee and I got to the movie theater, we decided to split up. I walked over to the ticket counter to purchase our tickets while Jaymee and Kim went over to the food section of the movie theater to pick out the snacks they wanted.

Once it was my turn to get my tickets, the ticket machine started giving the man behind the counter trouble, and as he worked on the machine, he asked me, "So, are you—uh, excited about being a dad?"

I raised an eyebrow at him while he concentrated on fixing the machine.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He glanced at Kim and said, "I thought you were with her. I apologize for my mistake."

"I _am_ with her," I corrected him. "And yeah, I guess you could say I'm _somewhat_ excited about being a dad."

He nodded. "That's great, man."

He had no idea what his comment meant to me. I'd been thinking a lot about Milton's words over the past couple days, as well as what I wanted out of my relationship with Kim. I thought it would be a little harder to officially step out of the friend zone with her, but it was a lot easier than I'd thought it would be. It just felt so natural for us to be together, like it was meant to be and didn't need to be forced.

The guy was finally able to get me the tickets, which were to a PG movie Jaymee had chosen with the help of Kin, and after five minutes of waiting, I was able to go back to my beautiful date—well, dates.

When I got there, Jaymee sounded like she was arguing with Kim.

"I want the little weird boys that are red and green and yellow," she said.

"Sweetheart, do you know the name of it or do you see it?" Kim asked.

I tapped on Kim's shoulder, and noticed how her face went from worried to relieved in less than a second.

"Hey," I said, "what's going on?"

"Jack," Jaymee said, with a hint of a whine in her voice, "I wanna get the little cartoons that are colored and—"

"You mean _Sour Patch Kids_?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, which lead to me kneeling down to her level and picking her up.

"Is that what you want?" I asked her, pointing to it on the top shelf under the transparent counter.

She nodded and put her head on my shoulder.

"Can I get one of those?" I asked the girl behind the counter.

"Of course," she said and took a _Sour Patch Kids _box from beneath the counter, putting it on top. "Is there anything else you want?"

I glanced at Kim, who shook her head and gave the money to the girl behind the counter.

As Kim glanced around the movie theater, I found myself staring at her. She might have been pregnant with someone else's children, my sister might have been on a date with us and we might have been going to watch a kids' movie on a date—a _date_—but I still felt as if I were on top of the world.

**XxX**

After staring at a screen for more than ninety minutes, I finally had a chance to process it all. There had been a lot of cuddling and hand holding and a good time in general, but I really wished that I could have taken Kim on a better date. A more traditional one that included dinner, walking under the moon and possibly looking at stars. I smiled to myself. That sounded pretty nice.

I glanced at the women's restroom, wishing for my sister and Kim to come out, so we could go home—a girl blocked my vision, but I didn't notice that she was trying to talk to me after she had repeated herself a couple of times.

"Hey," she said, with a smile on her face.

"Hi," I replied, not knowing how to feel about her.

She was wearing tight jeans with a purple tank top and some type of heels. Her hair was curly and dark, probably brown and her skin was on the darker side. She had dark brown eyes, which were outlined by what I guessed was eye liner and pink lips that were definitely not naturally as pink as they seemed to be.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked.

"I want to throw out my drink and you're kinda standing in the way."

My face heated up in embarrassment and I moved out of her way.

"Are you here with someone?" the girl asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm waiting for them to get out of the bathroom."

She nodded and continued to make small talk with me.

As our conversation progressed, I grew more and more worried about Jaymee and Kim as well as the fact that the girl seemed to be into me. I really hate stopping girls' advances because I always feel like a bad guy afterwards and I could imagine what it would feel like if Kim rejected _my_ advances.

My phone beeped twice and after apologizing, I opened the text messages Kim had sent me.

The first one read: **You look really uncomfortable :/ . Just stay there** **and Jaymee will come to the rescue :).**

The second one read: **By the way, if she asks, you're twenty years old ;).**

"Is everything okay?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine," I replied, confused about what Kim meant.

A minute later, I noticed Jaymee running toward me, which made me wonder what that was all about. I knelt down to her level and cached her in my arms as she ran into them.

"Daddy," she said in a small voice, "Mommy thinks my brothers or sisters are on the way."

"What?" I asked.

"Ja—Daddy, Mommy says that he that her wa-water broke?" Jaymee said, looking confused.

I pulled myself together after I figured out that I must have looked confused as well.

"Princess," I said in my best 'dad' voice, "why don't you go tell Mommy I'll be there in a minute?"

Jaymee nodded, letting go of my neck and running toward the ladies' bathroom as soon as her feet hit the ground.

I turned back toward the brunette, who had an eyebrow raised. I was trying to figure out what to say when she interrupted my train of thoughts.

"So, you have a daughter…and a wife…" she said awkwardly.

"And two more children on the way," I said, feeling awkward. "It was nice talking to you, but my girlf—wife needs me."

She nodded and sad, "If you want, I could go check in on her if you want? I know you can't exactly go in there."

I thought about it for a minute, then shook my head.

"Thank you, but she doesn't know you and it'll only freak her out. It was nice meeting you. I'm Jack, by the way."

"Kaitlin. Good luck with your wife."

"Thank you," I said sincerely, then she nodded and walked away.

I headed toward the girl's bathroom, hoped that Kim's water hadn't really broken (she was only five months along, so that couldn't have really happened, could it?) and opened the door to the girl's bathroom.

I yelled inside, "Kim, you don't really need me to go in there, do you?"

"No," she said, coming out of the nearest stall with Jaymee trailing behind her.

"Is she gone?" Jaymee asked.

I nodded and stepped aside so that Kim could get out of the bathroom. Jaymee looked hesitant to come out, but when she did, she grabbed my hand and pulled down by my arm.

"Are you sure she's gone?" Jaymee whispered, so only I could hear.

I nodded.

"Are you sure? Are you really really _really_ sure, Jack?"

I smiled at her and nodded.

"So," I said, addressing Kim, who didn't look all too happy, "do you want to do something else before we leave?"

"Ice cream!" Jaymee shouted.

"Jaymee, one: you do not have to shout," I reprimanded, "and two: I was talking to Kim."

Kim raised an eyebrow and said in an emotionless voice, "I'm fine with getting her ice cream if you are."

I nodded, transferring Jaymee's hand from my right to my left and pulling Kim to my side by the waist.

"Are you okay?" I whispered into Kim's ear.

She nodded, giving me somewhat of a smile, but she couldn't fool me. She looked away quickly after, which confirmed my theory.

We walked back to the main lobby quietly, where Jaymee quickly let go of my hand and ran to the freezer full of ice cream.

"You're really upset, aren't you?" I asked Kim quietly as we walked toward a table that was nearby.

"I'm not upset," she replied too quickly for it to be believable.

I stopped in my tracks, but Kim kept walking away from me. I caught up with her and pulled her back to my side by her wrist, which only made her eyes flash with momentary anger. I let go of her wrist, afraid that I would hurt her if I gripped her wrist too tightly.

"You're acting really strange, Crawford," I said, "and I don't like it."

"Since when am I Crawford?" she shot back, upset.

"As long as I'm aware, since you were born."

She rolled her eyes.

"To _you_. Since when is my name Crawford to you?"

"Does it really matter?" I asked, but regretted replying so swiftly when I saw that it'd only made her more upset.

"Yes, it does matter, Jack," she replied quietly in a calm manner after a short period of silence.

"Since you started acting weird," I replied honestly. "I don't know what happened while I was gone and I'm hoping that if something had happened, you would have called me, but…I don't know. You can smile and laugh and try acting like everything's fine, but I know it's not. Beneath all of that, I _know_ that something's bothering you, and you're choosing to cope with it on your own. Honestly, I'm proud of you for that, but it also hurts that by gaining independence, you're completely shutting me out."

Kim sighted, but didn't say anything, which meant that my message had most likely gotten through to her.

"I didn't mean to shut you out," she finally said. "And I'm sorry if you think that I was acting this whole time, but I wasn't and I'm not. I really am glad you're back and we were able to come on this date."

I stared into her eyes, wondering if I should say anything else on the subject.

"Sooooo?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could, hoping that she didn't have another weird mood swing. "Do you want to go get ice cream?"

Kim looked surprised, but she nodded.

"Yes, but only if you let me pay for everyone's ice cream," she replied.

"Kim, I know you usually don't bring little sisters into dates, but you _are_ aware that this is a date, right?" I asked in s serious tone.

She looked away and giggled.

"I'm aware," she said.

I smiled, happy that the negativity had dissolved into thin air.

"And you are aware that I'm the man here, not you, right?"

She looked back at me, her eyebrows knit together, and shook her head, then said, "You're not a man, Jack."

It was now my turn to look confused.

"Well, I sure as heck am not a girl," I replied.

"That's not what I meant, Jack. I meant that you're a boy, not a man, not yet anyways. Anyhow, you refused to let me pay for anything else—just let me pay for the ice cream, and we can just get on with it."

"Is it really going to make you happy if I let you pay?"

"Yes, otherwise, I won't agree to go out on any more dates with you."

"Really? You're never ever going to agree to go on another date with me if I don't let you pay?"

She smiled and nodded.

"It's only fair," was her response. "You paid for everything else. Now it's on me."

"Alright," I said. "If that's what it takes to get you to go out with me again, then I guess that I'm willing to pay the price."

Kim's smile widened even more and for a second, it looked as if she had completely forgotten about everything else but the present.

**XxX**

After Kim had put Jaymee to bed, she had agreed to be my cuddle bear and cuddle with me on the couch, which was what we were doing right now. I'd stretched out on the couch and she had laid down in front of me, her back pressed against my chest. My arm had loosely wrapped around her waist and our fingers had somehow become intertwined.

"You know, I didn't think it'd be appropriate to tell you earlier, but I think you look very beautiful," I blurted out.

Kim turned her head to look at me, her face radiating with happiness, and said, "Thank you, Jack. I think you look rather handsome yourself."

I smiled at her and kissed her cheek, which instantly turned the color of a tomato. She turned her face away and fiddled with my fingers.

"Why are we doing this?" she asked. "Not that cuddling isn't nice, but why? You made it sound as if it was an important event."

"It _is_ an important event. To me, at least, and because we can cuddle all we can without interruptions. In four months, you'll thank me."

"Why is that?"

"Because by then you'll have two kids who will need you and you won't have time to do this with me."

She sighed.

"Actually, I'm six months along, not five."

I processed this information and felt the need to pull her closer. My thumb grazed against the fabric of Kim's sun dress and I instantly felt the twins moving. I placed my hand where they had just kicked and felt a warm fuzzy feeling start near my heart and spread throughout my body when Kim's smaller hand covered my own as the babies moved inside her. I rubbed her belly and thought about what Milton had said as well as the conversations I'd had earlier about family. If in three months I felt the same way about Kim as I did now, and she would let me do so, I would be there for the three of them as long as they needed me and wanted me there.

"You were right earlier, you know," Kim whispered, as if she were ashamed.

"About what, baby girl?"

She seemed a little surprised by my nickname for her, but didn't let it stop her from telling me what was up.

"I've been thinking a lot…about a lot of things."

"Like?" I asked, hoping that it didn't sound as if I were pushing her to tell me. If she wanted to tell me, I would listen, but if she didn't, then I wouldn't push her.

"I care about you, Jack," she said quietly, "…_a lot_."

I chuckled.

"That's good to hear," I said. "I care a lot about you too, Kimmy."

She hummed quietly, then blurted out, "It's Aaron,"

I tensed up and asked, "What's Aaron? What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything," she replied. "Not now, at least, but I'm afraid…afraid that one day he'll find out and he'll hurt us. I haven't had that dream I told you about any more, but it's always in the back of my mind. Aaron's eighteen—he doesn't _want_ children and if he finds out, he could take them away from me."

Her voice cracked a few times, which made me understand the state she was in. She had been thinking about this for who knows how long and maybe talking about it made her feel even worst.

"He can't do that, Kim," was my reply, "and if it comes to that, I won't let him take them away from you. If he ever even tries, I swear I'll make him regret it."

She turned around and buried her face in my chest.

"You're the best, Jack," she muttered barely audibly.

I was tempted to say _'And you're the greatest,' _but decided to keep it to myself. Sometimes leaving things unsaid speaks louder than words themselves do.

"Hey, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Who called earlier?"

I think that I stopped breathing all together. I'd completely forgotten about the so-called-Mitchie's phone call.

"You were honest with me," I began, "and I think that you deserve the same in return."

"You're really scaring me now," she said. "Did someone get hurt or die?"

I shook my head.

"No, nobody died…but someone _did_ decide that he wanted his…little sister back."

I stared at Kim (though I couldn't see the expression on her face), feeling as if I'd been holding the weight of the world on my shoulders and I had just handed that responsibility off to her, someone who I wish I could continue carrying the weight for.

Kim's body had gone stiff and I could sense what she was feeling because of the aura she was giving off.

"Kim? Princess, are you okay?"

She nodded her face against my chest, but didn't do or say anything else. I was almost sure that she had started to cry when she lifted her face up with a look of determination on her face.

"I knew it was coming," she finally said. "It was just a matter of time before he tried something."

"Wait, hold on a minute," I said, feeling confused. "I thought you'd be upset."

"I _am_ upset," she clarified, "I'm just not _surprised_. When Aaron wants something, he goes after it, and he probably just realized how much he actually needed me. I did the cleaning around the house and satisfied his needs—he's not going to let it go so easily."

I was surprised by Kim's words. Like she'd said, it sounded like she had done a lot of thinking and growing while I was away.

"We need to do _something_ about it, then," I said after I'd gotten over the shock of Kim's words. "I just don't know what."

"I do," Kim said. "I started mapping out a plan while you were gone."

**XxX**

_Hey, everyone! Thank you for your lovely reviews and encouragement :). I have a few "notes" for you, then I'll get out of your hair.  
_

_1. I'm picturing Jaymee as being played by G. Hannelius (Leo Howard's on-screen little sister and "adopted" little sister in real life), but you can picture her however you want. (I'll get you more details on her character later on, though.)_

_2. What do you think of the date? Did I do a good job or was it so-so?_

_3. And some people asked me to incorporate the "family" aspect to the story, you all know you are, so I hope you are happy with that as well :), I know I was (isn't Jack a cute big brother?)._

_4. From the next chapter or so forward, the story is going to enter a new "phase" as I like to call it (in Disney standards, it would be called a new "season," I guess), so I hope you like where the story goes :). _

* * *

Guest Reviewers Replies

ALEXIA WEASLEY KICK: You are such a lovely girl (I'm assuming) and your reviews make my day :). I'm glad you like Jaymee (she's a cutie isn't she?) and continued to like her character in this chapter. If anything happens, of course Jack will protect Kim, he's _Jack_—I don't think he could stop himself from protecting her. Thank you for your encouragement and I hoped you liked this chapter! :).

Guest: Aww! Thank you! Favorite writer in Fanfiction? That's a pretty great/high position if you ask me ;) and I'm happy I could fulfill it :). Your idea was great and I was tempted to incorporate it to this chapter, but the thing is that if incorporated your idea, it would change the direction in which the story is going, and I kind of want it to go in a certain direction, you know? I hope you understand :), and I'll try my best to update _Baby Boy_ :).

* * *

_I will update as soon as I can, and I just wanted to say, thank you for always reading and reviewing—it's truly worth the hard work and the time I spend on writing this :)…Emeral._


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